A Sefton landlord has been ordered to repay more than £22,000 in Housing Benefit following legal action taken by the Council.

Robert Edwards, who lets a number of properties in Sefton, has been instructed to repay £22,477 in Housing Benefits that he was paid while the properties concerned were rented but not licensed.

Successful prosecution

This ruling came as a result of Sefton Council’s earlier successful prosecution of Mr Edwards for failing to licence privately rented properties within a designated Selective Licensing area. In April last year, Edwards pleaded guilty at Magistrates’ Court to five offences of operating rented properties without the required licences.

He was fined a total of £13,037.86, including fines, a victim surcharge and prosecution costs.

Sefton Council then applied to the First-tier Tribunal for Rent Repayment Orders in relation to four of the properties involved in the prosecution. On 3 July 2026, the Tribunal granted the applications and ordered Edwards to repay the total of £22,477.02 in Housing Benefit.

We will not hesitate to use powers available

Cllr Phil Hart, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Highways, said: "This latest result shows once again that Sefton Council is willing to take action where landlords do not comply with their legal responsibilities.

"Most landlords in Sefton provide good quality accommodation and work with us to meet the required standards. However, where landlords fail to follow the law, we will not hesitate to use the powers available to us.”

Sefton Council's Selective and Additional (HMO) Licensing schemes enable the authority to step in and deal with poor management and hazards being faced by tenants. This helps improve standards in the private rented sector by making sure landlords meet their legal responsibilities and provide safe, well-managed homes for tenants.

Nearly 4,000 private rented properties covered

Cllr Hart added: “Our licensing schemes cover nearly 4,000 private rented properties across Sefton.”

“By having them in place, we can improve housing standards, protect tenants and make sure rented homes are safe and properly managed.

“Once again, this case sends a clear message that failing to comply can have significant financial consequences."

Find out more

Landlords can use this link to find out if their property needs a licence and make their application.

You can find out more about acceptable living standards for rented properties and how to make a complaint at www.sefton.gov.uk/Housing-standards.