Two Southall landlords have been found guilty of failing to comply with notices and orders to make safe dangerous and illegal privately rented properties.
Ealing Council prosecuted two landlords: Ahdil Saddiq, also known as Mohammed Jameel Choudhry and Jameel M Choudhry; and Jasjeet Singh Punny.
Saddiq was prosecuted for failing to comply with a prohibition order and demolition order served by Ealing Council’s HMO team because of a damp, dangerous and illegal outhouse at the rear of 5 Heathway, The Common, Southall.
When council officers inspected the outhouse in 2012 they found it mouldy, damp and cold and to have numerous electrical and fire safety hazards. A prohibition order was issued in October 2012 forbidding anyone to live or sleep there. However, subsequent inspections found that the landlord was ignoring the order and that it was still occupied.
In January 2014, the council served a demolition order requiring the outhouse to be torn down. However, when Saddiq also ignored this the council stepped in and demolished the outhouse.
Saddiq must now pay the council’s demolition costs of approximately £18,000 or a charge will be placed against the property.
Saddiq appeared in Ealing Magistrates Court on 7 January and was found guilty of six charges relating to his failure to comply with the prohibition and demolition orders. He must pay a £560 fine and the council’s legal costs of £2,616, as well as the £18,000 demolition costs.
In a separate case, Punny was prosecuted for failing to comply with an improvement notice on his property at 12 Oakleigh Court, Southall.
Punny was renting the property to a mother and her young, asthmatic child, but when officers inspected the property they found the walls covered with mould, a large sliding door not fixed to the wall so at risk of falling, and kitchen cabinets also not secured properly to the wall.
The council issued an improvement notice in September 2014 ordering Punny to make improvements, but he ignored all attempts by the officers to contact him. His continued failure to make the property safe resulted in his appearing before Ealing magistrates on 7 January where he was found guilty of failing to comply with the notice and ordered to pay a fine and council costs totalling £4,964.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet member for safety, culture and community services, said: “There is no place in this borough for slum landlords who are willing to put their tenants’ health and safety at risk for pure profit. Ealing Council is working hard to make sure that dangerous landlords feel the full weight of our powers and I am delighted to see these two selfish and irresponsible individuals found guilty.”
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It's a crying shame that these irresponsible individuals lead to punishment of all landlords the vast majority of whom do their best for their tenants in often difficult and cash-strapped circumstances. It's a pity that the government's latest punitive grabs of tax from landlords will only make the situation worse.
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