Landlord crammed families in to HMO with 78 defects
AFS Team·9 January 2013·3 min read
Parlak’s Watchacre Properties Ltd owned the house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Markfield Road, Haringey, North London.
Environmental health officers identified 78 health and safety problems at the house, where several families with children were living.
Parlak’s company had no HMO licence, so was never subject to an inspection by Haringey Council.
Parlak admitted the 78 housing act offences at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court. The magistrates heard he had several similar previous convictions. He must pay fines of £23,000 and costs of £2,890.
Nilgun Canver, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, said the authority is "determined" to clamp down on landlords who put profits over the safety of their tenants.
"Mr Parlak is associated with many properties which are used as HMOs and has been involved with this business for many years," he said. "There is no excuse for not licensing or for allowing properties to degenerate into such squalid conditions."
"A small fire in a property managed like this could lead to the utmost tragedy. I applaud the courts for taking this matter so seriously."
Haringey Council is one of several local authorities considering curbing the number of HMOs by demanding owners apply for planning permission before letting to tenants.
The council expects to take on the powers from November 2013.
Other councils discussing the special planning powers include Swindon and Inverness.
Swindon is seeking a borough-wide ban when the proportion of HMOs in Eastcott ward reaches 10% of all homes – currently the figure is 2.44%.
In Inverness, more than 50 businesses in the city centre are meeting councillors to urge them to introduce planning controls for shared houses. The city centre has 48 out of the councils 143 HMO homes.
