A landlord, who accepted false references, has been fined over £3000 after committing six offences against Selective Licensing rules.

Mr Colin Harrison, of Harrison Crescent, Gipton, was fined at Leeds Magistrates Court on Thursday 31 May after pleading guilty to all the offences.

A Leeds City Council spokeswoman, said: “This serves as a warning to any landlords who do not obey the rules associated within the selective licensing area of the city. It is very important that landlords strive to obtain decent and truthful references from prospective tenants before allowing them to rent the property to stop such issues as anti social behaviour.

“It is the landlord’s responsibility to make sure these references are correct and to ensure they are checked before the tenant is accepted."

The case was brought before the courts after complaints from local residents of anti social behaviour originating from a property owned by Mr Harrison. Officers from Leeds City Council’s selective licensing team working in cooperation with West Yorkshire Police established that the police had attended Mr Harrison’s rented property on 17 occasions since November 2008.

As a result, council officers requested that Mr Harrison provide references for his tenant who had just recently moved into the area. These references upon further investigation appeared somewhat suspicious with one referee denying having written a reference to Leeds City Council officers after being contacted by the selective licensing team.

This is the second time Mr Harrison has been prosecuted by Leeds City Councils selective licensing team for breaching selective licence conditions.