Rogue landlord pleads guilty to harassing Sheffield tenants

A Sheffield landlord is set to be sentenced for harassing his tenants, after he was taken to court by the council.
Mark Cashin, 48, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the harassment of his tenants during a short hearing at Sheffield Crown Court this afternoon.Mark Cashin, 48, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the harassment of his tenants during a short hearing at Sheffield Crown Court this afternoon.
Mark Cashin, 48, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the harassment of his tenants during a short hearing at Sheffield Crown Court this afternoon.

Mark Cashin, 48, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the harassment of his tenants during a short hearing at Sheffield Crown Court this afternoon.

Sheffield City Council brought the charges against Cashin, the first of which took place between Janaury 16, 2016 and February 3, 2016 and the second between September 30, 2016 and January 24, 2017.

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Cashin, dressed in a grey suit and a blue shirt, spoke only to enter his pleas.

He is due to return to court on October 3, when he will be sentenced for both offences.

Councillor Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve secured a guilty conviction against this landlord who we have previously prosecuted for his bad management of private housing.

“Everyone has the right to live in safe, well-managed homes without the threat of illegal evictions. If you’re having problems please get in touch – our private housing team help tenants and landlords, and we take offences very seriously.”

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Today's guilty plea comes less than a year after Cashin was ordered to pay a combination of fines and costs of £29,200 after being found guilty of 56 housing offences at Sheffield Magistrates' Court in November 2016.

The case formed part of a Sheffield City Council crack-down of rogue landlords, and was the biggest ever brought by the local authority.

The offences concerned five homes Cashin, of Haddon Road, Bakwell rented out in Abbeydale Road, Abbeydale; Violet Bank Road, Nether Edge; Vincent Road, Sharrow and Fieldhead Road and Glover Road in Lowfield.

Sheffield magistrates heard they were all badly managed by Cashin, who failed to maintain the means of escape and fire alarm systems in all the properties.

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Cashin also failed to provide copies of gas safety and electrical condition reports.

Other problems included broken windows and badly fitting external doors.

All but the Vincent Road property should have been licensed with Sheffield Council as houses of multiple occupancy, but no applications were ever received.