The owner of a letting agency in Southend has been ordered to pay £17,000 after breaching housing conditions after inspectors found him to be letting a family of five live in one small room.
Inspectors visited 21 Clifftown Road in Westcliff-on-Sea in December 2021 and found multiple breaches of house of multiple occupancy (HMO) conditions.
Officers from Southend-on-Sea City Council found the property, owned by the letting agent, had disrepair to windows and staircases, a lack of fire safety, and waste underneath an outside staircase. The inspecting officer also found evidence of overcrowding as a family, with two adults and three children living in one room.
Ruhul Shamsuddin and his company Lordsons Estates were found guilty ‘in absence’ of all 23 offences at Colchester Magistrates Court.
On Friday 7 July 2023 both Shamshuddin and the company were fined a total of £17,293 by Basildon Magistrates Court.
Cllr David Garston, cabinet member for housing and planning, commented: “Landlords who exploit the vulnerabilities of people in need and provide substandard and unsafe accommodation will be caught and will face consequences.
“I’m so pleased we were able to relocate this family living in overcrowded conditions and I am so pleased the courts recognised the seriousness of the charges and imposed such a fine as this sends the right message out to others who may want to flout the rules.”
And people say we need licensing in the property industry!!!
Why would they think that?
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There is plenty of regulation already, it is enforcement that is usually lacking, though not in this case.
I find it interesting that the story is about an agent but the councillor referred to ‘landlord’. Are they one and the same in this instance or is Mr Garston displaying a bias I wonder.
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Living there is probably better than being on the streets
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Whilst logically that is true, that is setting a dangerous precedent. “the house has a constant leak causing health problems? Well, they’d have more health issues on the street, so never mind!” “Rats are getting into the food stored in the kitchen? At least they have a kitchen and somewhere to store it!”
Everyone deserves a safe, warm and healthy place to live. Everyone. Well, I can think of exceptions but that is beside the point. Crowding two adults and three children into one room is not only putting massive mental health strain on everyone, pressure on all of the relationships and ability to have healthy boundaries but it is criminal negligent and borderline-abusive.
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I agree on one level but disagree on another.
I think that sate of the property was clearly poor, and I do feel for the family involved, but I assume that is what was affordable.
No one deserves anything – nothing is free.
Everything has to be paid for.
This age of entitlement makes people think they deserve things, paid for by me – a hard working taxpayer.
If I had 5 kids our family would have very little money.
I and my husband would have loved to have 5 or more kids but we understood that kids are expensive so we had 2 as that is what is affordable to be able to give them a good home, their own bedroom and privacy and a place to study, to live in a nice area.
To have a load of kids on a low income is irresponsible and is the parents decision.
How did they think they were going to be ale to support all these s=kids – did they not think of that when they were humping away.
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Again, I agree on one level and disagree on another. A safe warm place to live SHOULD be deserved by everyone, regardless. That is how a society SHOULD function. Yes, it might not be a castle, and they won’t have ‘luxury’ but every single person on the planet SHOULD HAVE a proper home and food on the table. That, however, is an issue with society and humanity as a whole, and a much bigger issue than can be dealt with. People nowadays do feel that they are entitled to ‘luxury’ without earning or paying for it though.
But I am glad we agree that the accommodation was ‘poor’. It wasn’t poor, it was illegal! Even for two adults and 1 child I believe that it would be classed as legally overcrowded.
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If there was regulation then this landlord, who according to the story is also a letting agent would probably have breached the professional standards and would no longer be able to operate as a Letting Agent.
No idea if this is a licensed HMO, but if it was, then he could/should lose his license.
I agree, enforcement is lacking, but if there is enforcement as there was in this case and he is able to continue getting away with things like this while operating a letting agency, then what is the point. Nothing is prevented!
As ever, perhaps some more information on this story could be interesting and spark a debate?
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He should be struck off. Strangely enough on 4th July 2023 there was a notice to Strike Off at Companies House for non filing of accounts. Hopefully that might stop him trading.
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It amazes me the amount of people coming from abroad who enquire about one bedroom apartments who have 2 or 3 children.
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And soon, you wont be able to advertise as not suitable for children under the rent reform bill. Ridiculous.
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