Firm behind unlicensed Glasgow flats warned for putting students ‘at risk’

Glasgow: A firm has been given a serious warning for putting over 200 students at risk by running unlicensed flats. Phoenix Centenary Court Ltd owns 39 properties at St Luke’s Place and St Luke’s Terrace, which are leased to City of Glasgow College.

The flats, starting at £136 a week, were found to be unlicensed after a company restructure. Cllr Alex Wilson, who leads the licensing committee, pointed out that the lack of a license could have serious consequences, especially in emergencies like a fire.

He stressed that without a license, the insurance would be void, leaving the firm liable for any issues. A representative from the company apologized, claiming that safety checks had not been compromised, and the committee decided to grant new licenses for just one year instead of three.

Landlords need Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licenses when renting to three or more unrelated people. A report revealed that the flats were previously licensed under a different company owned by the same people, but new applications weren’t submitted after the ownership change in April 2022.

The representative described the situation as an “administrative oversight,” believing the licenses were still valid under the previous company name. Cllr Wilson reminded them that it’s their responsibility to keep everything updated.

The ultimate owners are part of a Chinese consortium, and the representative assured that he would be more involved moving forward to prevent such issues. He expressed regret for the oversight and confirmed that all safety certifications are now current.