A rogue landlord has been sentenced after turning a bungalow into an illegal HMO.

The sentencing comes after a three-bedroom bungalow located in Egham, Surrey, was found to have been turned into a 15-room unlicensed HMO. 

Runnymede council officers were first alerted to the premises after receiving anonymous tip-offs regarding the number of people living there.

The council claims landlord Mona Jetwani and her brother “initially became aggressive and threatened to make complaints” when officers were attempting to visit the property. Staff then applied for a warrant allowing them to enter the building.

During their inspection, they found that “shoddy construction methods” had been used to create 15 spaces, including four in the loft area. On further inspection, some of these rooms were as “small as 3.48 square metres”, below the minimum acceptable size for rooms in an HMO property (6.51m).

Of the fire safety concerns identified, council staff highlighted an inadequate number of smoke alarms, “none of which were interlinked”, and there were large gaps in the plasterboard partitions of some of the rooms, offering inadequate fire separation. 

A fridge under the stairs also presented a fire risk in what the council stated, “should be a protected means of escape for occupants in the event of a fire”.

It is understood that Jetwani agreed to carry out remedial work and “a small number of basic changes had been attempted” after council intervention. She later admitted to 10 charges against her under the Housing Act 2004, including operating a licensable HMO without a licence; failing to supply a gas safety report; failing to comply with fire safety regulations; and failing to comply with a number of regulation requirements relating to the size of the rooms, access to washing facilities, and more.

Jetwani was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000. The council reports that the initial fine was £18,000 but was reduced due to Jetwani’s early guilty plea.

A spokesperson for the council explained that the bungalow was in an “appalling state”.

“Our environmental health staff cannot remember another incident where a landlord had tried to profit to this extent. People’s lives have been put at risk because of these living conditions and a family home was turned into a cash cow.

“People running HMOs need to do so within the rules for good reason. This prosecution came about through anonymous tip-offs, and we would absolutely encourage anyone else who believes an HMO is being run dangerously or without a licence to contact us. It took over a year to deal with this case, but we do not give up when safety is at risk. 

“The majority of landlords operate their properties within the law, but the sentence in this case should be a wake-up call to the few who do not, wherever in the borough they are.”