The head tenant of a ‘death trap’ bungalow into which he crammed other tenants has been ordered to pay over £26,000.
The raid on the bungalow by local council officers was shown on the Channel 5 programme ‘Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords’ which showed conditions inside the property.
Damp and mould caked the walls, windows and doors had been blocked off and smoke alarms had been covered up.
Mattresses littered the floors of the living room, dining room and even the pantry. Makeshift bunk beds made out of wood offcuts, pallets and tarpaulins enabled ten men to share one bedroom meant for two people.
Willesden Magistrates Court, in north London, has now found Petru Dregan of breaking housing management regulations, neglecting to protect the safety of tenants from whom he was taking money and failing to license the property in which they were living.
Dregan was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £6,520 in court costs, in the prosecution brought by Brent Council.
From October 1, any property rented out to five or more sharers must have a mandatory HMO licence. At the moment, mandatory licences only cover properties of three or more storeys.
So lets understand this,
Landlord pursues Civil action ( because Civil is only option – route open to them ) against tenant for sub-letting, damages etc and the chances of recovery are next to zero [ I believe 4% HCEO’s quote ]
Local Authority prosecute and matter heard in Magistrates court, where fines can be enforced, ultimately with imprisonment.
‘Scales of Justice’, – what a joke !
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