A letting agent and landlord will have to pay almost £40,000 between them after letting an illegal and unsafe HMO – with the letting agent facing easily the lion’s share of the bill.

The joint prosecution has resulted in Newham Council’s highest fines for these kinds of offences.

The seven-bedroom house in East Ham, London, was found with filthy communal areas including the kitchen and bathroom, mould on the walls and no working fire detectors, during an inspection by Newham Council officers in July 2013.

Five men were living in the property which owner Priptal Sira did not have planning permission to turn into an HMO.

He failed to comply with enforcement notices, and last month was found guilty of 11 breaches of housing regulations and one of planning regulations.

Sira, who admitted one count of breaching housing regulations, was fined £2,700 at Thames Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay costs of £3,000 and a victim surcharge of £40.

The agent, Anjum Rashid of AJ Properties in Ilford, Essex, was found guilty of 13 offences related to managing an HMO.

He was fined £32,000 with costs of £1,321 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Andrew Baikie, mayoral adviser for housing, said: “These prosecutions highlight the high standards we expect landlords and letting agents to meet while renting out properties in the borough.

“We want to make unsanitary and unsafe housing a thing of the past and this case highlights how we will pursue all those responsible for placing tenants into such accommodation, to the courts if necessary.”