A pair of landlords in Hounslow have been slapped with a hefty fine for allowing people to live in damp-riddled rooms without fire detectors.
Haleem Bhatti and Ibrahim Ali were caught after Hounslow Council housing enforcement officers visited a flat above a shop at 65-67 Hanworth Road following a fire at the address in September last year.
It appeared the joint property owners had allowed 10 people to live in squalid conditions, sharing depleted kitchens and bathrooms in a flat riddled with damp.
The neglected property was also found to be missing fire detectors and had a faulty fire alarm and damaged fire doors, posing a danger to the tenants living there.
The pair were fined almost £11,000 for the poor housing conditions and for running an unlicensed house in multiple occupation (HMO).
According to the government, your home is an HMO if at least three tenants live there and you share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.
Ali of Octavia Road, Hounslow, pleaded guilty to five offences relating to poor management of the property and operating an HMO without a licence.
He was fined £3,140 plus £3,776 costs at Feltham Magistrates Court on August 31.
Bhatti of Staines Road, Hounslow pleaded guilty to failing to licence an HMO at the same court on July 25, and was fined £1,585 plus £2,000 costs.
In total, the pair have been ordered to pay £10,501.
Councillor Sue Sampson, cabinet member for community protection at Hounslow Council, said: “Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in the fire at this property but the outcome for some of the tenants could have been fatal.
“We are trying our very best to stamp out unscrupulous landlords determined to make a quick profit at the expense of vulnerable tenants.
“We will not hesitate to take firm action against landlords who flout the law and put peoples’ lives at risk.”
The council hopes this will act as a warning to others and said it will continue to name and shame rogue landlords breaking the rules and putting tenants lives in danger
Report a suspected HMO by completing the e-form on the Hounslow Council web page on HMOs.
