Rogue landlord and owner of Sheffield's Old Town Hall prosecuted again

The owner of Sheffield’s Old Town Hall - and landlord to hundreds of tenants in Sheffield - has been prosecuted again.
By David Walsh
Published 21st Sep 2022, 11:52 BST
Updated 22nd Sep 2022, 10:40 BST
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Gunes ‘Gary’ Ata was taken to court by Sheffield City Council for failing to provide vital paperwork at one of his blocks of flats.

He was ordered to pay £2,225 in costs and fines, a councillor said.

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It is the latest in a series of run-ins with authority which have seen him hauled before the courts by the Fire Service, Health and Safety Executive, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Tribunal Service.

Gunes 'Gary’ Ata was taken to court by Sheffield City Council for failing to provide vital paperwork at one of his blocks of flats.Gunes 'Gary’ Ata was taken to court by Sheffield City Council for failing to provide vital paperwork at one of his blocks of flats.
Gunes 'Gary’ Ata was taken to court by Sheffield City Council for failing to provide vital paperwork at one of his blocks of flats.
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Mr Ata bought the listed Old Town Hall for £600,000 in December last year but work on repairs or a refurbishment has yet to start.

Coun Douglas Johnson, chair of the city council’s housing policy committee, said they would take action against landlords who ‘ignored or disregarded’ the law.

He said: “We have successfully prosecuted Uttoxeter-based landlord Gunes Ata, aged 47, for failing to provide information about the insurance of the building he owns at Printworks, Hodgson Street, Sheffield.

Friends of the Old Town Hall are growingly increasingly concerned about the state of the building under its new owner - including this large broken window.Friends of the Old Town Hall are growingly increasingly concerned about the state of the building under its new owner - including this large broken window.
Friends of the Old Town Hall are growingly increasingly concerned about the state of the building under its new owner - including this large broken window.
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“Any tenant living in a flat let out on a long lease must pay service charges to their landlord to cover services such as cleaning, repairs of communal areas and building insurance.

“They have the right to challenge these charges and cannot do that unless they have access to information which shows why they are being charged and what they are being charged for.

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“In the case of insurance, they have the right to know what the insurance covers so that they can check that they are properly protected and getting value for money.

Mr Ata bought the listed Old Town Hall for £600,000 in December last year.Mr Ata bought the listed Old Town Hall for £600,000 in December last year.
Mr Ata bought the listed Old Town Hall for £600,000 in December last year.

“Mr Ata’s management practice fell short of the standard required in law and those of a reasonable landlord and he was ordered to pay £2,225 in costs and fines.

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“We want Sheffield to be a place where all residents and investors can be sure they will be treated fairly and we will take action where we reasonably can, when it is clear that this law is being ignored or disregarded.”

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Mr Ata is director of companies which control apartment buildings in Sheffield including the Lightbox, The Hub, Printworks, London Court, Kelham Works and St Mary’s House.

Built in 1808, the Old Town Hall - which also housed Sheffield’s courts - has been disused for 25 years.

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