Landlord crammed 22 people into 'death trap' house in Wembley

Up to five people slept per ROOM in the property slammed as a 'death trap' by fire chiefs

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19:21, 2 MAY 2017
Updated19:38, 2 MAY 2017

22 people squeezed into the 'death trap' property above a barber shop in Wembley (Image: LFB)

A Wembley landlord crammed 22 tenants into a house - including children - described by fire chiefs a 'death trap'.

Homeowneer Jan Ahmed, 41, of East Lane, Wembley, admitted ten fire safety offences which put his tenants' lives at risk, including a family of five squeezed into an attic.

Ahmed was the leaseholder of the home, above a barber's shop on Ealing Road, Wembley, where up to five paying tenants were packed into a room.

The house of multiple occupancy (HMO) comprised of seven first floor rooms and a second floor attic.

London's dodgy landlords

The attic and all but one of the first floor rooms were occupied by paying tenants, with three of the rooms being lived in by up to five people each, including a poorly-converted attic which housed a family of five, including three children, at the time of the offences in January 2015.

The landlord botched the loft conversion, leaving a hole in the landing that could cause a fire to quickly spread, and had fitted no fire alarms or fire doors.

There were gaps above two of the doors which would cause fire to spread, and block the tenants from escaping.

Fire would have spread throughout the house thanks to these gaps above doors in the property (Image: LFB)

The deputy assistant commissioner for fire safety, Andy Hearn, said: “This building was a potential death trap.

"The crowded and cramped conditions combined with the woefully inadequate fire safety provision would have put the lives of those inside at serious risk if ever a fire had broken out.

“It’s the responsibility of landlords under fire safety law to ensure their tenants are safe from the risk of fire.

"If we find they are not taking those responsibilities seriously we won’t hesitate to prosecute.”

Ahmed was handed a 38-day prison sentence, suspended for six months, and was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, at Southwark Crown Court on Friday April 21.

He pleaded guilty to ten offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2000 and must also pay £2,000 prosecution costs.

When they visited the property, the London Fire Brigade’s fire safety inspectors found multiple fire safety failings which would have put the occupants at risk of ‘death or serious injury’ in the event of a fire.