WINCHESTER City Council has denied losing an application after a landlord was ordered to pay nearly £30,000.

As previously reported, Gurjiven Singh Chhokran had been renting out 72 Stuart Crescent, Stanmore, to students without the correct permissions.

Following a court hearing, he was told to pay £28,400 in refunded rent – despite claiming that Winchester City Council had lost his application.

A spokesperson for the council told the Chronicle: "“We are aware that the landlord of 72 Stuart Crescent contended that he had submitted a valid application for a HMO licence in September 2018, however we have received no evidence to substantiate this despite giving Mr Chhokran multiple opportunities to provide evidence.

“The council will actively seek to hold landlords who fail in their statutory duty to licence their properties to account. If any residents have any concerns as to landlords not holding the correct licences please call our Customer Service Centre on 01962 840 222 for further support.”