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Unscrupulous landlord fined £11,000 following prosecution by Hillingdon Council
A landlord who crammed too many tenants into his rental property and put their lives at risk by failing to install fire safety measures has been hit with an £11,000 fine.
Following an investigation, Hillingdon council officers discovered a three-storey house in multiple occupation (HMO) with inadequate fire precautions in New Road, Harlington. After being contacted by the council, the landlord Javeed Hossain of Rydal Crescent, Perivale applied for an HMO licence limiting the occupation of the property to six people. He was also told he must install appropriate fire precautions.
A later visit by council officers found that not only had the landlord breached the HMO licence by permitting 10 tenants to occupy the property, he also failed to install the required fire alarm system. Council officers found that there were a lack of adequate fire doors, a lack of smoke and heat detectors and no emergency illuminated exit signs on the stairs. The landlord had even allowed a pregnant woman and her partner to live in a room in the roof that was unfit for occupation due to its restricted size.
On Tuesday 19 May 2015, Javeed Hossain was found guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for failing to comply with the HMO licence and failing to install the required fire precautions under HMO management regulations.
The court awarded a fine of £11,000 a victim surcharge of £120 and ordered the landlord to pay the council’s full costs of £884.
Cllr Keith Burrows, Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling at Hillingdon Council said:”This unscrupulous landlord put his tenants’ lives at risk by neglecting to ensure that an adequate fire safety system was in place at his property and the consequences could have been fatal if a fire had broken out.
“He also put his greed before their welfare by cramming too many people into the house and pocketing the rent. I am pleased that the courts have imposed such a heavy fine on Mr Hossain, reflecting the seriousness of his offences.“
More information on the property licensing requirements in Hillingdon is available at www.londonpropertylicensing.co.uk/hillingdon
