A rogue landlord has been fined more than £30,000 after letting a house that was described as having the potential to have killed his tenants and which contained a bedroom with a ceiling less than four feet high.
The court case, in Darlington, came after the council received an anonymous tip-off about the property in the town.
Every room in the property, with the exceptions of the kitchen and bathroom, was used as a bedroom; one room had a ceiling just 1.1 metres high. Tenants were found sleeping on the floor and, in one case, in a bedroom without standing room.
The property’s owner, Darlington businessman Mizan Abdin, 27, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of failing to comply with regulations in respect of housing in multiple occupation and one of failing to have a licence to manage his property.
Fire exits were reportedly obstructed, lighting was broken or missing, waste water poured into a yard, and there was a failure to provide certificates proving that gas and electrical supplies and appliances were safe. During an inspection in the spring, the only smoke alarm in the building was found to be broken awhile plug sockets were overloaded and light fittings left hanging.
Abdin, who did not attend the hearing, was fined £32,070.
Chris McEwan, a Darlington councillor, said the tenants had been exposed to great risks and the case demonstrated “problems faced by vulnerable tenants living in the private rented sector and quite clearly shows a landlord with no concern for the health and safety or welfare of his tenants.”
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Comments
I agree chris, but often wonder why people move into these types of places? Lets be honest the roof did not suddenly become 1.1 meters high? I see this clown did not attend the hearing, so would suggest they will not see the 32K they fined him either :/
Some landlords are so greedy and it's these rogues that give other decent landlords a bad name.
It's always the negative stories that get reported though, and not the landlords that go out of their way provide excellent homes for tenants