A landlord has been charged and fined for not adhering to regulations for HMOs, following an early morning raid involving immigration enforcement officers.
Selvakumar Francis, a London-based landlord, appeared in court on charges related to the condition and overcrowding of his property in Cambridge.
Disregard
Evidence was uncovered that Mr Francis had show disregard to the property, allowing its condition to deteriorate substantially. The property was found to have no basic fire safety precautions.
Officers noted that many defects amounted to nine breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.
Mr Francis pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined a total of £13,500. In addition, he was told to pay the council’s costs of £1,460, plus a victim surcharge of £120.
Rogue landlord in Cambridge fined £15,080
Lack of safety
As part of the inspection, Cambridge council officers noted that there was no fire detection system. A fire door had been removed or simply not installed and this, combined with no dire detection system in the downstairs area, meant that tenants would have been unaware of any fire and thus would have been trapped.
The hallway, the main route of escape, was found to be blocked with three bikes, a mattress and unopened packs of laminate flooring.
There were eight beds located within the three-bedroom property, with only one toilet for all occupants. One of these rooms was only 5.5 sq metres in size. In two of the bedrooms, three-beds were crammed in, with only one electrical socket for use between the three occupants of each. This led to multiple extension sockets being used and an increased risk of fire.
On sentencing, magistrates said Mr Francis was negligent and has actions, ‘had a significant effect on human health and quality of life.’[1]
[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/1/early-morning-immigration-raid-leads-to-15-080-bill-for-landlord