Rogue landlord fined for once again breaching safety regulations

A private landlord in Lincoln has been fined more than £10,000 after being caught breaking safety rules for a second time.

Missing fire alarms, doors that were sealed shut, ceilings that were not upgraded to prevent the spread of fire, and a missing kitchen door, were among the issues identified by safety inspectors at a private rented property on Burton Road in Lincoln, LN1.

The landlord Abdol Ali Javid Keshmiri of Wragby Road, LN2, was ordered at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court to pay £10,123.30 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to two charges of failing to comply with regulation of the licensing and management of houses in multiple occupation.

Hannah Cann, private housing team leader of City of Lincoln Council, said: “The conditions at the property on Burton Road were completely unsafe and a risk in several ways.

“In the first floor flat, there was an unguarded drop from the top of the stairs and unrestricted windows which could lead to injury of the two young children living in the property.

“If a fire was to light, there were no fire safety measures in place to ensure the tenants’ escape.

“We are extremely concerned with landlords who have created unsafe flats in Lincoln by dividing up properties without complying with Building Regulation requirements.”

This is not the first time Keshmiri has been prosecuted by the council, having previously been convicted and ordered to pay £8,253.38 for 11 similar offences last year at a terrace house on Ely Street, LN1, which had been converted into two flats.

The House in Multiple Occupation, which occupied by a young family in the upstairs flat and by a single person in the downstairs flat, had a number of breaches of fire safety requirements including a failure to provide adequate fire separation when the property was converted without planning permission or building regulations consent.

Magistrates told Keshmiri: “We have thought long and hard about this matter. Mr Keshmiri has a portfolio of 20 properties and it is reasonable to expect him to have a sound knowledge of Houses in Multiple Occupation.

“He has failed in his duty of care to ensure the safety of his tenants and to take all such measures required to protect them.”

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