A private landlord and an agent guilty of managing an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation have both been hit with large fines.

A prosecution was brought by Islington Council in London following a complaint from a tenant.

A senior environmental health officer inspected the property and discovered up to eight unrelated occupants sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.

There were also multiple broken items. These included a bedroom window with no glass, no working fire detection system or fire blanket in the kitchen, and a cracked electrical plug socket in the living room.

The landlord, Kuppusami Selvarajan, of Ilford, Essex, was found guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court and fined £8,500.

The property managing agent, S3A Management, pleaded guilty and fined £7,650.

The defendants were also ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of £5,773, bringing the total fines and costs to £21,923.

The tenants are also entitled to apply for a Rent Repayment Order to claim back the rent they have paid.

Cllr Diarmaid Ward, executive member for housing and development at Islington, said: “London is facing a massive housing crisis and this has put many people on lower incomes at risk of exploitation.

“Everyone has the right to safe, genuinely affordable housing, and Islington will not tolerate dodgy operators taking advantage of people’s desperate need for a home.

“It’s unacceptable for landlords to rake in rent from vulnerable people living in rundown, unsafe spaces, and where we find unacceptable conditions we will act to protect tenants.”