The Property Court established an innocent landlord after a request for a Rental Repayment Order (RRO) was brought about by a tenant against purchasing his tenant.
The first tier court ruled that the unnamed male landlord met all licensing obligations but was a victim of a failed administrative failure by the Southwork Council. 
It has been revealed that the landlord, represented by DeTaylor (pictured), co-founder of Landlord License & Defense, applied for and paid the required HMO license in December 2018.
Southwork failure
However, a failure in Southwark's license records caused the application to not be processed correctly and not reflected in the Council's database.
When the landlord later presented evidence of both his payment and application, Southwork's own licensing department confirmed that he was compliant throughout the period of question.
Contradiction
The representative justice of tenants and their tenants later found further contradictory in their claims, but noted that complaints about landlords were “largely subtle and unfounded.”
It also found that allegations regarding the terms of property have been “exaggerated.”
This was a horrifying incident in which the landlord was dragged through legal proceedings because of what he had already adhered to. ”
After the verdict, Taylor commented:
“If the landlord had no capacity to prepare our forensic cases and demonstrate the failure of Southwork, the landlord might have been unfairly financially punished. The court's ruling makes it clear that the allegations are completely free of merit.”
The court raised concern over the contradictory records held by the Southwork Council, which led to misinformation that forms the basis for the tenant's claims. Additionally, they refused to order a refund of the applicant's costs, reinforcing the weakness of the case.
The decision highlights the need for landlords to act discreetly when faced with RRO claims and urges DeTaylor and those who receive applications from tenants or their representatives to work with applicants and seek immediate expert advice.
