A landlord who split up a property to rent out to tenants without obtaining the required licence, which was held could have put them at risk, has been fined thousands of pounds.
Wendall Tsao failed to apply for a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence for the property in Kempsford Gardens, near West Brompton station.
He also failed to keep fire alarms in good working order and a window from falling into disrepair.
Property matters
The landlord was fined £3,750 at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court on November 21 and also told to pay costs of £2,394, bringing the total he must pay to more than £6,000.
The court heard that Kensington and Chelsea Council officers inspected the property on January 20 2016 and found that the upper floor flat had been separated into five units and required a HMO licence.
The inspection found five people were occupying four of the five dwellings, and that the flat had not been maintained therefore increasing the risk of injury.
Tsao of Warwick Road, Kensington , admitted all the charges.
During the hearing, Tsao’s legal representative Archie Maddan told the court his client had made a genuine mistake.
District Judge King acknowledged the defendant’s good character and previous 30-year history as a landlord.
“No licence is a serious matter, there is a licensing requirement and if landlords don’t licence then people can be put at risk,” the judge said.
According to website Zoopla, some properties on Kempsfield Grdens can be worth more than £1.5 million, and is situated in between West Brompton overground and Earl's Court Underground stations.
Tsao was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.
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