Herefordshire Council’s Environmental Health and Trading Standards Service has prosecuted a rogue landlord for offences under the Housing Act.
Landlord Mayya Kostyuk and her company Herford Housing Solutions Ltd were successfully convicted of 11 housing-related offences at Hereford Magistrates’ Court.
Herefordshire Council Environmental Health Officers gave evidence as to how company director Kostyuk and Herford Housing Solutions Ltd – not to be confused with Herefordshire Council’s Housing Solutions team – had disregarded health and safety licensing requirements for a large, shared house at 45 Broad Street in Leominster in March 2015.
Magistrates found Kostyuk and Herford Housing Solutions Ltd guilty of significant overcrowding, allowing unsafe and prohibited areas for sleeping –
and failing to provide an adequate means of escape in the event of fire.
Fines, costs and charges totalled £3,030.
After sentencing, a spokesman for the council said:
“This was one of the worst cases of overcrowding our officers had seen in a licensed House in Multiple Occupation – one tenant was even found sleeping in a boiler cupboard with no windows.
“Herford Housing Solutions Ltd and Mayya Kostyuk put profit before the lives of their tenants – and this result sends a clear message to other rogue landlords that such behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Herefordshire Council will continue to protect tenants’ safety and the livelihood of our decent private sector landlords, who are in the majority.”
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