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

A rogue Sheffield landlord has been prosecuted for the second time in less than a year.

Gunes 'Gary' Ata, aged 48, was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £1,982 after failing to provide information about charges to a tenant at St Mary’s flats on London Road.

His barrister blamed a software error but the prosecution said Sheffield City Council had written to him three times. The authority brought the case under section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It also prosecuted Ata in 2022 for failing to provide information about insurance at Printworks, Hodgson Street, Sheffield.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, chair of the housing policy committee, said: “This is another example of the city council using the law to bring about a successful court prosecution and, on this occasion, someone who has been prosecuted before. It is our duty to protect tenants from landlords who do not abide by the law.”

It is the latest in a string of run-ins between Ata and authorities including the fire service, Health and Safety Executive, Information Commissioner and Tribunal Service.

In November, a group of 48 investors at St Mary's demanded the city council take action against him over management of the building and safety issues including allegedly failing to provide fire safety, electrical or gas certificates.

Ata, who is based in Telford and runs Noble Design and Build, bought the listed Old Town Hall in Castlegate in December 2021 but work on repairs or a refurbishment has apparently yet to start. Friends of the Old Town Hall are growingly increasingly concerned about the state of the building.