Brent council officers found 17 men living in a 3-bed home in London, which had no central heating and no hot water. The rooms were damp and piled high with grimy mattresses, the bathroom walls were plastered with cardboard, and the backyard was full of old mattresses and rubbish.
Met Officers Join House Raid
A previous raid on the property had been thwarted when council officers were denied access, so this time they took the police along as back-up. Investigations uncovered a scheme whereby the tenants all paid rent to one person at the house, who then passed on the official rent to the landlord.
Unacceptable Living Conditions
“Having to live with 16 other people in these cramped conditions is unacceptable,” said Councillor Harbi Farah from Brent Council.
“We are talking about people’s lives and no one deserves to spend theirs in a grimy, overcrowded house with no hot water or heating.”
Officers from the council’s housing department are in the midst of cracking down on landlords who run unlicensed properties.
“We are in the process of identifying and taking enforcement action against unlicensed properties and I’m happy to see actions including the raid last week, taken against landlords who do not comply with the law.
“Licensing is good for everyone in Brent. It drives up standards in the private sector and ensures a good standard of living for our residents, something we are committed to providing.”
Immigration officers were also present, just in case there were illegal immigrants living in the property.
