Council enforcement officers found 11 people crammed inside a three-bed semi in London following a tip-off from eagled-eyed residents.
Brent council officers entered an address in Wembley along with police shortly after 6am yesterday.
They found tenants sleeping in every room inside the house, except for the kitchen and bathroom.
The property did not have a legally required HMO licence.
A statement from the council says: “Officers were disgusted to see the conditions nearly a dozen people were living in as they carried out their inspection, including a polystyrene ceiling giving way inside the kitchen, no fire safety doors and no fire alarm system.
“Damp and black mould also covered the walls and ceilings inside the rooms making it difficult for people to breathe normally.”
Tenants told the officers that they were paying a combined rent of more than £2,000 to their landlord.
A council spokesperson says: “It is shocking and horrifying that rogue landlords make a profit from keeping people in dangerous and slum-like conditions like this. People in vulnerable circumstances tend not to know what rights they have as renters.
“Rogue landlords who exploit their tenants’ vulnerability will find themselves facing hefty fines and possibly a criminal conviction. We will use whatever powers we have to hold them to account.”
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
In an attempt to help crackdown on poor quality housing, BBC...
A notorious rogue landlord who illegally built a number of tiny...
Buy-to-let landlords in Wales who offer free accommodation in return for...
A criminal landlord has been handed a fine of almost £40,000...
The vast majority of tenants are unaware of new laws introduced...
Despite the recent tax crackdown, buy-to-let continues to look an attractive...
The property market had enjoyed a boost thanks to the outcome...
There wasn’t much by way of good news in the Spring...
National Landlord Investment Show has announced that the former Leader of...
Twenty twenty-four is a pivotal year for landlords in the Private...
The management of BTL properties, whether it's a modest collection of...
We are thrilled to report that the first National Landlord Investment...
If interest rate rises weren’t enough to drive landlords out the...
Landlords play a crucial role in providing safe and comfortable housing...
.jpg)
Calling all landlords, Investors and property professionals: National Landlord Investment Show...
A recent survey by digital mortgage lender, Molo, revealed that nearly...
In the buy to let market, success goes beyond the transaction...
Mohammed Sharaz, a landlord from Bradford, recently seized an opportunity to...
We believe a well-functioning housing system is one that meets everyone’s...
A council has prosecuted a landlord for letting out two HMOs...
The Labour-led government in Wales has issued a consultation proposing the...
Another council is looking for landlords with rental properties to match...
Another council is looking for landlords with rental properties to match...
.png)
Landlords and renters’ activists are at either end of the spectrum...
A prominent lettings sector expert is blaming the media for anti-landlord...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you, and what does it say on...
Who are you? I am the Head of Broking for...
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
And the Government think landlord registration will stop this kind of landlord 😂😭
Was that £2000 a week or a month?
Wembley, says it all
What Nationality was the Landlord?
Probably sublet to a .... Take a number of guesses you will probably be right on most of them.
Were the occupants happier to be there than homeless?
What was the status of the residents?? I hate incomplete factual news reports.. it just creates further questions rather than opinions.
Biased reporting, not enough details.
Why are the Council's not doing spot checks with the money they are getting from licences.
Lazy council's supported by poor Government policies, with ineffective Courts and penalties.
And so the circle goes round and round.
More stupid legislation, lazier Councils and muppets as politicians!
Need I say more!
Very difficult to do spot checks when you are working from home and preparing for the Peloton World Championship Record.
Also the licence fee should now just be branded as what it is, another Stealth Tax..!
Peter
The correct term is "working". You gave it an undeserved level of legitimacy and veracity by omitting the quotation marks or the insertion of allegedly.
I bet the landlord had no idea so many people were living there. Quite common for tenants to overcrowd to save money. £2,000 divided by 11 tenants equals a rent of £181.81 pm, ridiculously cheap and obviously a way for those coming to London to make money from working (probably not registered to pay tax or NI either). I can't think of any landlord who would let to that amount of people for such a paltry sum, but as usual the landlord will take the blame!
My doubts too. In Wembley? that rent for for so many people for a month? Tenants are quite capable of hiding things from landlord and subletting to save money as much as they can to survive. There are rogue tenants as much as there are landlords, but news is always biased. I am sure the tenants wouldn’t be as naive to not know the rules if they are capable of coming to a different country (I bet they are foreign nationals) and living here. And the mould - the tenants could be as much go blame as they never open up windows or dry clothes etc inside, and don’t switch on heating to save money - I had to change all my tenancies to include bills because when it wasn’t, that was what the tenants did, a cold room with no heating on, and drying clothes etc, without opening up the windows- ideal environment for mould - why are the tenants never penalised for this?
Geraldine I agree 100% in Wembley more like £400.00
pm each if it could be got.
They won’t be finding anywhere to live even for double unless they can find someone soft like me and I’m not that soft either.
So much injustice fine the landlord and everyone applauds.
Why don’t they tell us how many is on the Tenancy Agreement and I bet there is one he is not going to let it out without one.
Please login to comment