Aug

PICTURES: Landlord to pay £40,000 after multiple breaches of HMO licence

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A landlord in London must now pay £40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub.

Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for failing to comply with licensing regulations in at least 15 instances at the address, which has nine bedrooms, all with self-contained bathrooms and kitchens.

This included failing to supply cooking facilities for one of the bedsits on the Holloway Road in North London, forcing one tenant to cook in his living room using a small electric hob on a desk (pictured, below) for months on end.

He was sentenced in January before Highbury Magistrates’ Court, which he appealed but subsequently lost.

He must now pay a fine of £31,250, costs of £8,657 and a victim surcharge of £190.

Councillor Una O’Halloran (pictured) says: “Islington Council is determined to ensure that everyone in our community has a decent, safe and genuinely affordable place to call home.

“Landlords who consistently fail to uphold their responsibilities to their tenants, will not be tolerated in Islington. People should feel safe in their own homes, and they should be provided with everything they need to have a good quality of life.

“We hope that this prosecution will send a clear message to landlords that if they fail to comply with the rules, we will take legal action.”

Islington Council records seen by LandlordZONE show that Shahid, who resides in Southfield, South London, holds a five-year licence for a property at 563 Holloway Road (pictured) above a pub that was due to expire next year under the authority’s Mandatory HMO licensing scheme for houses or flats.

These are properties where there are five or more unrelated people, forming two or more households and who share amenities such as a kitchen, bathroom or WC.

Pix: Google Streetview/Islington Coucil.

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