Landlord ordered to pay over £5k for putting tenants at risk

A private landlord in Northampton has been fined £3,300 and ordered to pay the council’s £1,890.26 legal costs along with a £170 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to five offences, including fire safety irregularities, in relation to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) that he owns in Charles Street, Northampton, NN1.

The charges brought against the landlord, Nazrul Islam, by Northampton Borough Council, included failure to comply without reasonable excuse to two licence conditions, two management regulations breaches, and works detailed on an Improvement Notice.

The court heard that Islam breached management regulations which left his tenants at risk of not being able to safely escape from the property in the event of a fire, while he also failed to comply with an Improvement Notice served on 8 September 2016, which required him to make alterations to the layout of the property to ensure that the occupants were properly protected in the event of a fire.

The landlord also pleaded guilty to not keeping the rear garden of his property in good order, leaving exposed brickwork in the kitchen, and failing to ensure that the electrical installation in the house was at all times kept safe and in proper working order.

Cllr Stephen Hibbert, cabinet member for housing and wellbeing, commented: “We try our best to work with landlords so they can ensure their properties are safe and well maintained.

“Despite our best efforts, we sometimes find that the advice and guidance we offer is not followed and we need to and will take enforcement action including prosecution if necessary.

“We will now monitor the situation closely with this particular property to ensure the work needed is carried out adequately and in a timely fashion.”