A landlord has been hit with what a local authority calls a record £66,000 fine after being found guilty of letting an HMO that was dangerous to tenants.
Reading council prosecuted Mohammed Naseer Zamir, following its housing team’s findings at the property in the town between October 2019 and February 2020.
Zamir claimed the property consisted of two self-contained flats, each of which was occupied by a single household; but the council discovered that each flat was in multiple occupation.
Safety shortcomings included the main external entrance door to the HMO being insecure and in poor repair, leaving the property vulnerable to intruders, and the escape route from the home not being fire resistant and in poor repair.
Other fire precautions at the property were not being maintained, and the council found other safety issues like electrical sockets near the shower cubicles, taped up electric cable to a fridge freezer, disrepair to other electrical sockets and no current gas safety certificate.
The council gave Zamir the opportunity to address the problems, but says he did not do so.
He has now been found guilty of one charge of failing to comply with s16 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, and 13 charges of failing to comply with HMO Management Regulations made under s234 of The Housing Act 2004.
He has to pay a victim surcharge of £181 and costs of £4,480 in addition to the fine.
A council spokesperson says: “It serves as a stark warning to landlords all over the borough that they must do more to ensure they comply with the rules, or we will take action to protect their tenants."
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The guy was given the chance to correct matters, so why didn't he, I expect our laws don't apply to him ?
He MUST be banned from anything to do with property forever and wherever.
It is clear LL, he got off pretty light. One year's rental as penalty, especially after being given time to fix the problems is not unreasonable combined with a life ban from property letting/managing!
I see this is not straight forward at all. Who was on the tenancy agreement and how many, was there extra persons staying there if so were they there by his consent, did LL get extra payment for them, had he paid tax on his income, who broke the Socket outlets, I had to replace 12 last year although they were already new they rip the plug out of the wall by the lead. What was wrong with the Front Door why do you think it was insecure we were band from putting Dead Locks on them, who on earth was going to come. How many is a Council Housing Team is it 3/4/5 or 1 everyone using this terminology those day's referring to the team when sometimes it one or a recording machine. How can the Council justify such extortionate costs £4'480.00 was it 2 Sheets of A4 paper or one it cost them, or get a Rolls Royce Taxi to view the Property or to take them to Court. Did the Tenants have an anterior motive and did the call Council-in, have they since been housed by the Council simple questions. Why have we been excluded from the Property none of this happened before LL's rights were taken away. I'll leave it there.
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