A rogue landlord in Southend has been handed a £39,000 fine for breaching House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) regulations.
Rogue Landlord Fined £39,000 for Breaching HMO Regulations
Last week, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court ordered Robert Crow, of 19 Devereux Road, Southend, to pay £35,000 in fines and £4,000 in costs for 15 violations of the regulations that govern HMOs. Crow’s tenants were found to be living in appalling conditions.
After Crow ignored numerous prohibition orders and improvement notices from the council and refused entry to the property, an enforcement officer authorised a warrant on 20th August 2015 to inspect the property with five police officers.
The officers found that the overcrowded property was being rented out in uninhabitable living conditions, with one tenant sleeping in a tiny bedroom with no windows and two people even found to be living in the backyard under tarpaulin.
Further breaches of HMO regulations include: an obstructed fire escape, an unclean bathroom and a category 1 hazard in the kitchen.
The court described the conditions as “appalling, deplorable and inhumane”, which have “no place in a modern Britain of today”.
The council’s Group Manager for Housing, Andrew Fiske, says: “Our enforcement officer who led the case said it was one of the worst cases they had seen in their professional career, and so this prosecution was vital and is welcomed.
“The police assistance and support was vital in this case, not only in order to gain entry to the property, but also with some of the information that they provided to help with the case, so we would like to thank them for that.”
He continues: “Mr. Crow was served numerous prohibition orders and improvement notices that were flagrantly ignored over a long period of time. Whilst we make every effort to develop good working relationships with private landlords, if rules are ignored so blatantly then we must and will take action to keep tenants safe.
“No one should have to be living in conditions like this, and this has ben recognised by the courts with a large fine that reflects the seriousness of the offences.”1
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1 http://www.southend.gov.uk/news/article/845/criminal_landlord_gets_35k_fine