A London landlord has been fined £2,500 by the local council for letting an unlicensed HMO.

The fine was issued after the landlord was found to be letting their three-storey property to seven unrelated tenants. With no adequate fire protection and detection system in place, the property posed a high risk to those living in the property. In addition to this, the kitchen facilities provided by the landlord were insufficient for the total number of tenants, according to the London Borough of Haringey.

The landlord appealed the fine to the First-Tier Tribunal, which upheld the decision.

Haringey’s HMO licensing scheme, which has been in operation since May 2019, requires landlords who let properties to three or more unrelated tenants living together who share a bathroom or toilet facilities as well as a kitchen to obtain a license. Landlords who fail to comply with the scheme can be issued with a Rent Repayment Order in addition to a fine. This requires them to return the rent paid by tenants while the property was unlicensed. 

A spokesperson for the council says: “The council’s HMO licensing scheme is there to protect residents and ensure they are living in homes that are safe, well managed, of good quality and most of all, compliant.

“As shown by this case, those who do not comply with their obligations will face tough consequences. The health and safety of residents is of utmost importance, and we will do everything we can to fight for renters’ rights and to strengthen the quality of Haringey’s private rented sector.”