£1,000 fine for HMO landlord who let squalid flat

A landlord who let his tenants live in a squalid and overcrowded shared flat over a shop was fined £1,000. A council team visited the house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Ilford, East London, and found a catalogue of offences. The landlord, Farooq Muhammad, was fined and must pay £4,000 costs after being found guilty of running an HMO without a licence, failing to maintain proper health and safety standards in the flat and food hygiene offences relating to the shop below. The maintenance issues included exposed live power cable and wrongly wired switches. Councillor Michelle Dunn, Redbridge’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We are determined to ensure that private tenants have access to safe and decent accommodation. We have a good working relationship with many landlords who act responsibly and provide much needed accommodation for local people. “However, we will not tolerate rogue landlords who flout the law and place tenants’ lives at risk and will continue to take tough action.” Landlord had 21 previous convictions Meanwhile, another shopkeeper in Manchester who converted part of the building housing his store in to a HMO was ordered to pay £9,259 in fines and costs for eight fire safety offences by Manchester City Magistrates. The home had no fire doors leading from the bedrooms or the kitchen, and although a fire alarm was installed, smoke detectors were missing or damaged. The court heard the landlord, Javed Waraich, who owned the Premier Convenience store, on Wilmslow Road, Manchester, had 21 previous convictions for breaking housing laws. Fire service spokesman Peter O'Reilly said: "This case should serve as a warning that landlords and business owners who put profits over safety may face significant consequences." Fine for landlord who defied planners A landlord from Finsbury Park, North London, must pay £15,495 after unlawfully turning a house into nine flats. Andreas Antoniades turned the house in to nine flats in 2011 without planning permission – he then converted the building back to a house after planners stepped in. A year later, the house was inspected again, and Antoniades had turned it back in to nine flats which he let at £160 a week each. He admitted breaching an enforcement order at Enfield and Haringey Magistrates Court and was fined £13,500 with costs of £1,995.

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Sam Dickinson

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