A rogue landlord who continually let out an awfully maintained property has been given a huge fine.
Mr Liakath Ali of Bedford was found guilty of letting out damp and overcrowded rooms and as a result was hit with a whopping £67,000 fine.
Costly
In all, Mr Ali was ordered to pay:
- A confiscation order of £36,936
- £12,500 in fines
- £17,500 in costs
- A victim surcharge of £120
Offences related to a property in Stepney, located in London’s Tower Hamlets. The orders were based on the local council’s financial investigation report that investigated Ali’s rental income and his equity in the four properties he owned.
Such a substantial fine was decided upon after taking into account the amount of neglect that Mr Ali had shown. The property had no fire alarms, widespread mould, was overcrowded and had a rat infestation.
In addition, one room of the house was found to have inadequate light, with two other rooms having two people living in them, when there was only sufficient space for one occupant.
Rogue landlord hit with whopping £67,000 fine
Shared
The large sum will be shared between the Courts Service, the national government and Tower Hamlets council, to help fund housing enforcement measures for the future.
A council spokesman said, ‘it is vital that landlords in the borough are committed to renting out their properties within the confines of the law. We trust them to ensure they have the necessary safety measures in place to protect their tenants. We only take enforcement action against rogue landlords as a last resort.’[1]
[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/1/massive-67-000-fine-for-letting-out-dirty-and-overcrowded-property