A company and its director has been fined after the Notting Hill property it looked after was found to have numerous safety breaches.
AAA London Property Limited, the licence holder for the house in Clanricarde Gardens, admitted to 13 charges under the Housing Act 2004. It was also found guilty of a further 11 charges following a trial.
The firm, based in Warren Street, London, was fined £47,900 after Kensington and Chelsea )K&C) officers found numerous breaches of regulations ranging from a faulty smoke detector to unsafe banisters.
Company’s director Jagjit Kaur, who lives in America, was fined £21,870 in relation to 16 charges under the Housing Act 2004. She had entered guilty pleas to nine of the charges at an earlier hearing and she was subsequently found guilty of the remaining seven charges after trial which was heard by City of London Magistrates’ Court on February 12.
The property was a six-storey house in multiple occupation (HMO), converted into 35 lettings with around 45 tenants.
K&C’s head of housing Rock Feilding-Mellen said: “Councils have a duty to ensure that licensed HMOs are fit for the number of occupiers. The purpose of the licensing requirements is to enable local authorities to ensure that HMOs are safe, have adequate facilities for the occupiers and are properly managed.
“It is very important that, when faced with landlords who are not adhering to the appropriate regulations and licensing conditions, we take all necessary action to ensure that tenants are protected and that the properties they live in meet all legal requirements.
“In this case both the company and its director failed to meet the minimum standards and their responsibilities as a landlord so I am very pleased that the court has handed down these fines.”
AAA London Property Limited and Ms Kaur were also ordered to pay costs of £7,709.75 and a victim surcharge of £120.
