A landlord who flouted fire safety rules while renting out an unlicensed HMO has been fined £500.
Vishal Jain charged five people £2,050 a month to live in his property in Tooting, south London.
But Wandsworth council inspectors found the property had too few smoke alarms and no protection to the only available escape route. The three-storey property had no HMO licence.
Jain pleaded guilty at Richmond Magistrates’ Court and was given a £500 fine and ordered to pay £500 costs and a £15 surcharge.
Fines for operating an unlicensed HMO can be up to £20,000.
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Comments
This comes out about £400 per tenant per month, which is cheap in London. If the landlord had to pay for the license, the rent would rise to at least £450 per tenant. Who is suffering?