Many local authorities are used to dealing with rogue landlords, but housing officers from Barnet Council were horrified when they discovered the awful conditions a group of tenants were being forced to live in. The property was brought to the attention of Barnet housing officials after a concerned neighbour complained about conditions in and around the house.
Horrific Living Conditions
Environmental officers visited the HMO and discovered a whole catalogue of woes. The kitchen ceiling in the property had fallen in and the walls in the shower room were not fit for purpose. The shower attachment was also being used to wash crockery. An old mattress covered an open manhole outside and there were piles of rubbish strewn everywhere. There were also defective smoke alarms in the house. All in all, the property was in a terrible state, which can’t have been much fun for the six adults, four children and a 9 month old baby who were living there at the time.
Landlord Fined
The manager of the property was summoned to appear in court to face various charges and although he didn’t bother showing up he was fined £17k in his absence. The property development company who owned the property was also fined £16k for converting the house into bedsits without appropriate planning permissions in place.
Warning to Rogue Landlords
Barnet Council has now issued a warning to other landlords operating in their borough:
“Barnet Council will not hesitate to take the appropriate action to ensure that poor landlords do not evade their responsibilities and put tenants at risk.”
