Two of the borough’s biggest estate agents have been fined a total of almost £52,750 for breaching Haringey Borough Council’s property management laws.

Ashdale Services, also known as Sylvan Estates, which has a number of properties in Haringey was ordered to pay close to £50,000 by Tottenham Magistrates Court.

The company was fined for failing to get Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licences for properties in the Harringay Ladder area and for failing to maintain one of its properties on Effingham Road.

Ashdale owner George Georgiou pleaded guilty to failing to licence the properties in Hewitt Rd and Effingham Road and accepted that the latter was poorly maintained.

He admitted failing to provide functional smoke alarms, allowing bedrooms to become mouldy due to broken window sash cords and failing to fit hand rails in narrow, steep stair wells.

Another landlord, Blue Ribbon Properties, refused to replace faulty windows over the course of a year, despite repeated requests and court action from the council.

It pleaded not guilty to failing to maintain a flat in Handsworth Road, in Tottenham, but lost its case at the magistrates’ court.

The company was given a £1,500 fine and was ordered to pay the council £1,250 in court costs.

Cllr John Bevan, cabinet member for the environment, said big landlords should know better.

He said: "It is simply not good enough that big landlords, who should know better, fail to properly licence and maintain their properties.

“The council will be putting increased resources into enforcing the HMO licence and other legislation.

“Both these cases reinforce our message to landlords that if they don't get the required licenses and they don’t properly maintain their properties for tenants, they will be taken to task.”