News
Dilapidated property in East Ham leads to almost £40,000 fine
A landlord and a letting agent have been fined almost £40,000 for a string of housing offences.
Environmental Health Officers from Newham Council found a dilapidated and unsanitary property in Harrow Road, East Ham during an inspection in July 2013.
Five men were living in the seven-bedroom property where there were no working fire detectors, and the property was in a bad state with mould on the walls and dirty communal areas including the kitchen, bathroom and hallways.
The team had also found that the owner Priptal Sira, of Gordon Road, Romford, had breached planning regulations by converting the property into a house of multiple occupation.
After failing to comply with enforcement notices Sira was summoned to court by Newham Council.
On Wednesday 3 December 2014 at Thames Magistrates’ Court, he was found guilty of 11 breaches of housing regulations and admitted one. He was also found guilty of one planning regulation breach. He was fined £2,700 and also ordered to pay costs of £3,000 and a victim surcharge of £40.
The letting agent for the property was also prosecuted by the council. Anjum Rashid of AJ Properties Ltd in Green Lane, Ilford was found guilty of 13 offences for managing a house of multiple occupation, including failing to ensure that fire alarms are maintained and that the drainage system is in a good condition. He was fined a total of £32,500 and ordered to pay £1,321.30 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
Andrew Baikie, mayoral advisor for housing, said:
“These prosecutions highlight the high standards we expect landlords and letting agents to meet while renting out properties in the borough. We want to make unsanitary and unsafe housing a thing of the past and this case highlights how we will pursue all those responsible for placing tenants in to such accommodation, to the courts if necessary.“
