A Kent landlord has been sentenced for putting her tenants’ lives at significant risk of injury or death. Dawn Holliday, 62, refused to carry out gas safety checks, even after enforcement action was taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Holliday received a suspended 26-week sentence and will be electronically tagged for four months for failing to maintain gas appliances at a Kent property. She claimed she lacked the funds to address necessary maintenance, leaving tenants with a faulty, often banging boiler that frequently failed to provide heating or hot water, along with a condemned cooker that had been in disrepair for several years.
However, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Holliday was receiving full rent from the tenant at the property on First Avenue, Eastchurch, when enforcement action was taken. Despite being served with an Improvement Notice requiring her to conduct gas safety checks, Holliday ignored both the notice and further requests from HSE.
Holliday also falsely claimed that the tenants had moved out and were not paying rent, a claim the investigation found to be entirely untrue. On September 2, 2024, at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court, Dawn Holliday, of Golden Leas Holiday Park, Plough Road, Minster on Sea, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 21, and the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998, Sections 36(2) and 36(3). She was sentenced to 26 weeks of imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
District Judge Leake also imposed an electronically monitored curfew on Holliday for four months, with curfew hours from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM. In addition, HSE was awarded £750 in costs, and the judge issued a remediation order under Section 42 of the 1974 Act, requiring Holliday to complete the necessary gas safety inspection by December 6, 2024.
The prosecution was led by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Samantha Wells, with assistance from paralegal Imogen Isaacs.
Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Joanne Williams stated: “We are committed to ensuring that landlords follow the law and provide safe accommodation for tenants. We do not tolerate any disregard for health and safety, and we view non-compliance with HSE enforcement notices as a serious offence.
“In this case, Ms. Holliday blatantly ignored the support, guidance, and warnings provided by HSE to help her comply with the law, continuing to put her tenants at serious risk of injury or even death. While we aim to work with landlords to improve health and safety wherever possible, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action and prosecute individuals who disregard warnings and legal obligations.”
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