Prohibition notices were served on the homes in Boston, Lincolnshire, after inspections found they were dirty, unsafe and overcrowded.
The properties are owned by a Latvian job agent who finds seasonal workers for farming and shellfish firms.
Boston Council say officers have spent months trying to encourage the landlord to upgrade nine unlicensed shared homes in the town.
He has applied for planning permission to convert one in to a HMO, while the others were found to be filthy, crammed with tenants and lacking in fire and electrical safety precautions that put anyone living in the homes at risk.
The orders mean only single families can live in the homes.
The council had considered carrying out remedial work to bring the properties up to a reasonable living standard but felt the landlord would skip the country, leaving them unable to recoup the estimated £100,000 costs.
Repairs warning ignored
In a separate case, landlord Janine Forster was ordered to pay £682 fines and costs for flouting fire and electrical safety rules in a HMO in Darlington.
Three tenants at the shared house complained to Darlington Council about safety standards in the property. She sent a letter to the court that admitted ignoring the notice and was sentenced in her absence.
An improvement notice was served, but Forster failed to carry out repairs, the town’s magistrates heard.
Now, the council has sent in workmen to make the house safe and will be expecting Forster to pay the bill.
Chris McEwan, Darlington Council’s cabinet member for resources, said: “Landlords have a legal and moral duty to provide protection for their tenants and although we will always try to work with landlords and help them, they will be prosecuted if they fail to adhere to legal requirements.”
