A landlord with previous offences for breaching safety regulations has been hit with a series of fines in a new case. 

Norfolk landlord Carmine Salamone pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching prohibition orders at HMOs in a prosecution brought by West Norfolk Council.

He let extra rooms for use as sleeping accommodation despite being told this was forbidden.

The offences, dating back to January 2023, involved two HMOs in the county where he allowed room accessed off the kitchen to be used for sleeping, despite this breaching prohibition orders made under section 20 of the Housing Act 2004.

For one offence he was fined £3,500 and will also pay a victim surcharge of £1,400 and court costs of £5,450. For the second offence, Salamone was fined £3,500.

A council spokesperson says: “Landlords have a duty to ensure that the properties they let are safe, and meet welfare standards. Carmine Salamone admitted breaching prohibition orders in two HMOs, having let extra rooms for use as sleeping accommodation where he had been specifically told that those rooms could not be used in this way.

“As the court heard, he has a history of breaching regulations that provide for people’s safety and welfare, which is why the fines for these offences were so high.

“This result is good news for tenants and also for the many good landlords we have. For the landlords who put profits first and ignore their duties, I hope this serves as a reminder that such decisions come with consequences.”