A LANDLORD who had unlawfully converted a house into a block of flats in Blackbird Leys has been fined almost £1,000.

Clive Balfour White, 49, of Vetch Place in Greater Leys, was prosecuted after an environmental health officer from Oxford City Council investigated the property in Moorbank last July.

The visit found four tenants living in two flats that did not have planning permission or comply with safety rules.

Mr White also failed to return a legal notice to the council requiring him to provide information about the property.

At Oxford Magistrates' Court on April 11 he pleaded guilty to this as well as the management of an unlicensed HMO, receiving fines for each offence of £250, and was ordered to pay surcharges and council costs of £480.

Patsy Dell, head of planning, sustainable development and regulatory services at Oxford City Council, said: “The law is catching up with rogue landlords who flout planning and building regulations and unlawfully sub-divide properties to maximise the rent.

"They are considered to be HMOs and require licensing so we can use our full range of powers to take action. This property has now been turned back into a house.”