Legal News
Council investigates landlord for renting out room with mat on the floor (13 August 2015)
Date: 13/08/2015
A landlord is to be investigated after housing officers from Newham Council in east London were informed about a tiny bedroom he was renting to a tenant for £500 a month, which only had a mat on the floor to sleep on.
The Evening Standard reports that Newham Council has a compulsory licensing scheme, under which landlords have to register the name of the tenant at a property – as well as providing the tenancy agreement and gas and electrical safety certificates, when requested.
Police and inspectors visited the property being investigated after the landlord allegedly failed to provide the details required when asked to do so.
The house was supposed to be a three-bedroom property – however, officers and inspectors found five rooms were being used for sleeping, including a poorly converted loft space.
The council had been told a single family lived at the property, but room for ten sleeping places was found.
Police also say that a man had reported that he was paying £500 a month to sleep on just a mat on the floor in one room at the property.
A council spokeswoman said tenants had told them they were paying between £200 and £250.
Newham Council’s mayoral advisor for housing, Andrew Baikie, said:
“Our pioneering private rented sector licensing scheme is using council data to hone in on landlords who are exploiting tenants by cramming them into houses to make a quick profit.
“During a joint operation with the police on Monday, we found this three-bedroom property in East Ham with evidence of ten sleeping areas, including this mat.
"We are still investigating, but this landlord can expect to hear from us in the near future about potential breaches of housing regulations and licensing laws.”
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