A pair of West London landlords who collected rent from more than 30 tenants from sub-standard homes on the same street have been fined in excess of £36,000.
Mr Palminder Singh Sanghera and Mrs Nirmal Kaur were guilty of letting the properties in Ellerdine Road, Hounslow, fall below acceptable conditions.
The couple, who reside in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, were fined £36,340 after they accepted more than 30 offences at Feltham Magistrates Court.
Tip-off
After responding to a tip-off, Hounslow Council’s housing enforcement team visited the properties and carried out an inspection of the properties in 2014. As part of their investigation, they found dumped rubbish, faulty fire alarms, blocked fire escape and disgusting kitchen conditions.
There were 30 people found to be residing in the homes, but the couple had not obtained the necessary HMO licences. Upon sentencing, the magistrates took into account the couple’s previously good behavior, the mitigation from their barrister and the measures they had taken to sort out the breaches in legislation.
Crackdown
Councillor Steve Curran of Hounslow Council, said, ‘the council is determined to crackdown on rogue landlords. These fines are a warning to landlords of the consequences of ignoring their legal obligations relating to HMO’s.’[1]
Curran went on to say, ‘there is no justification for putting people’s lives at risk and making them live in poor conditions. That’s why raising the standards of private-rented housing and bring rogue landlords to account is a priority for this council.’[1]
[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/11/hounslow-hmo-landlords-fined-36-000