A LANDLORD with four properties in York has run up more than £42,000 in council tax arrears and has been told he faces jail unless he pays it off.

Ahmed Abdul Karbani also broke tenancy laws when he let out a room in one of his houses without providing appropriate facilities, York magistrates heard.

Andrea Barker, prosecuting, said City of York Council had banned Karbani from taking a tenant in the room because the house did not meet regulations for houses in multiple occupation.

But he let the room anyway without upgrading the house’s facilities and claimed housing benefit as the tenant’s landlord. Karbani, 59, has a house in Eastward Avenue, off Fulford Road, where members of his family live, and he rents out houses in Scott Street and Thorpe Street, both off Scarcroft Road, and Tang Hall Lane.

The total council tax arrears for the four properties, run up over at least seven years, was £42,229.55.

Karbani gave his personal address in court as Oldman Court, Foxwood, and pleaded guilty to breaching a prohibition order made under housing legislation.

Magistrates heard he had entered an agreement with the council under which he pays the arrears off at £200 a week. He will also remortgage one of his properties to raise £22,000 and pay it to the council by March 21.

The court made a three-month suspended prison committal which means that if Karbani fails to pay the lump sum and the instalments every week until the debt is settled, he can be sent to jail.

The court also gave him a conditional discharge for 12 months, plus a £15 victim surcharge for the housing law offence.

His lawyer, Tariq Hussain, said: “He has suffered greatly.”

Karbani had had a lot of problems because he was the only member of his family with the education to handle property matters and had had to handle all of the family properties.

He had also had difficulties with a particular tenant who had taken nine years to evict.

But matters had improved for him and he was looking forward to moving on with his life.