Landlord forced to pay for ignoring bed bug plague in mouldy home

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A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay back almost £15,000 in rent to tenants who had to live in dangerous and disgusting conditions.

Officers from Barking and Dagenham Council who visited the two-bedroom flat in Butteridges Close, Dagenham, found a litany of problems including damp and mould throughout the property and only one functioning heater. It had no working smoke alarms, the kitchen cupboards were all broken, the oven plug had been secured using duct tape, there was an exposed light in the bathroom, as well as a severe infestation of bed bugs.

Unlicensed property

Kehinde Wilson Gbadegesin, of Greenwich, had already been fined more than £11,000 in February at Barking Magistrates Court after failing to carry out improvements or register for a licence. At the hearing, estate agent Phil Davies Estate Agents was also ordered to pay £11,000 after the court heard both the firm and the landlord had been issued with multiple notices to take action and resolve the issues, which were all ignored.

A First Tier Property Tribunal has now handed Gbadegesin a rent repayment order for the period between February 2022 and January 2023 – totalling £14,400 – as well as a further £300 in costs.

Improve standards

Councillor Syed Ghani, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, says no one should be left to live in dangerous and disgusting conditions like those faced by Gbadegesin’s tenants. “I am pleased to hear this rogue landlord will be made to pay back every penny he unscrupulously took from them.”

He adds: “Our private rented property licensing scheme is there to improve standards for all, and I hope this sends a strong message that we will continue to take action against the small minority who think they can flout the rules and do as they please.”

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