A letting agency and landlord been fined after illegally running a house in multiple occupation (HMO).
The three-bedroom HMO was identified by Barking and Dagenham Council in December 2018.
Officials informed the planning enforcement team that planning consent had not been granted or applied for to change the property from a single dwelling.
Landlord Husna Patel was sent letters in January and March 2019 making her aware of the planning regulation requirements, according to the council.
But the authority says that these warnings were ignored and an enforcement notice was served in April 2019 requiring the use of the HMO to be stopped within six months.
On 8 January 2022 council officers were told that the property was still being occupied by two unrelated families who were sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The property was managed by Woodland Property Management Ltd, of Cranbrook Road, Ilford.
Patel, of Cavendish Gardens, Ilford and Woodland Property Management Ltd were summoned to Barkingside Magistrates Court on 31 May 2022.
Patel failed to attend and a warrant not backed for bail was issued, the council said.
Patel surrendered to custody on 21 June after further council investigations.
Patel and Woodland Property Management Ltd attended the court on 28 July 2022.
They pleaded guilty to breach of a planning enforcement notice under the A179 Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Both were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 17, 2023.
Patel was ordered to pay a £5,000 fine, costs of £1,542.50 and £27,000 under the Proceeds of Crime legislation – these total £33,542.50.
Woodland Property Management Ltd was ordered to pay a fine of £7,500, costs of £1,542.50 and £3,000 under the Proceeds of Crime legislation – totalling £12,042.50.
Cllr Syed Ghani, cabinet member of enforcement and community safety, said: “Landlords operating in Barking and Dagenham must follow the rules we’ve set out to ensure that tenants are looked after properly.
“This particular landlord and property management company failed to do this and completely ignored requests from our officers.
“They’re now paying the price with a huge fine.”
This is where licensing would weed out the rogues who put two fingers up when caught. They would get a life ban and justly deserved!
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The article did not mention the house is in poor condition. The 3 bedroom house was rented to 2 families but there’s no mention of the family size or whether it’s overcrowded. At least from the article, the only thing the landlord & the agent done wrong is missing the license. To execute ‘use of the HMO to be stopped’ as the authority suggested, the landlord would need to evict the 2 families – the article didn’t say the tenants are living rouge / unhappy, and they probably rent the shared house because they cannot afford renting an individual house. Pretty sure they are now evicted and need to spend more on rent. So nobody is winning except the authority getting 45k in fines!
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This is why rogue agents and landlords persist and play the game of chance. Tenants are desperate, we see them everyday, pleading, begging and offering all sorts of incentives to jump the long waiting list and take anything as long as the roof stops a bit of rain. What is to stop them doing it again? So many are at it and its nothing new, they try their arm until they get caught, but when caught to stick two fingers up!
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