HMO landlord fined £3,000 for letting unsafe house

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Rogue landlord:

A year-long pursuit
by Worcester Council led to a nearly £3,000 fine for an HMO
landlord.

Mohammed Rafiq had
repeatedly failed to install proper safety measures in his property
after having been warned by the Council on numerous occasions.

Rafiq was fined
£2,783 by Worcester Magistrates Court for operating an unlicensed
house of multiple occupation (HMO) in Canterbury Road in Worcester
and for failing to install specified fire safety equipment.

He had been letting
the property without a mandatory licence since November 2018 at which
time the Council had embarked on a lengthy process of enforcement
ending in Worcester Magistrates Court.

Rafiq was sentence
in his absence having failed to attend court.

He was found guilty
of the charges against him which included failure to obtain a
licence, failing to fit firefighting equipment, having insufficient
fire alarms, no emergency lighting or self-closing fire doors, and
failing to have his details on display inside the property – name,
address and contact details, which is a requirement for all HMOs.

Councillor James
Stanley, chairman of the city council’s communities committee, said:

“The majority of
landlords in Worcester abide by the law but as this case
demonstrates, the city council won’t hesitate to act in cases where
landlords exploit tenants, provide dangerous or substandard
accommodation or flout their legal obligations.

“I would urge any
Worcester residents who are facing difficulties with their tenancy or
have concerns about an HMO to contact the city council’s housing
team for advice and support.”

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