Have a question?
033 3772 0409

Legal News

Private sector landlord fined £5,000 for disrepair (23 March 2015)

Date: 23/03/2015
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Private sector landlord fined £5,000 for disrepair

A mother has described how her ceiling collapsed after her landlord failed to repair a leak at the property.

Shukri Ibrahim had gone to the fridge to fetch some milk and narrowly avoided being seriously injured when the ceiling in her rented property in Wembley, north London, crashed down under the weight of a flood of water.

Ms Ibrahim, 49, said:

“I was getting milk out of the fridge when I heard a noise and it all came down.

“There was water pouring from upstairs through a hole in the ceiling – it was like a tidal wave because there’s a bathroom on the floor above.

“I fell down and my children had to carry me to the living room.”

Ms Ibrahim had previously alerted her landlords Tarrek and Saira Aslam to leaks at the property, but nothing had been done to fix the problems, she said.

“Whenever I asked Mr Aslam, he said he has the power to kick me out of the house,” Ms Ibrahim claimed.

“He never comes to fix anything – he just threatens us with eviction.”

Ms Ibrahim and her seven children have lived at their home in Castleton gardens in Wembley, north London for 13 years. The property is worth around £500,000 and the family pays £1,300 a month in rent.

A broken pipe caused the flood and collapse of the ceiling – but Ms Ibrahim’s landlords have still not fixed the damage. As a result the family is now living n a damp property with mould on the wall, she said.

“It’s so cold because there is no hot water – to shower, we have to boil a kettle and every time we shower there’s damp on the walls.

“My children have had breathing problems and have had to miss school,” she added.

After the ceiling collapsed, Ms Ibrahim called in environmental health officers in April 2014 – and Brent council launched an investigation into disrepair of the property. Brent Council introduced a licensing scheme for private sector landlords this year to help protect tenants form being forced to live in poor quality accommodation and threats of eviction if they complain.

The council sent “numerous” letters and made phone calls to Mr Aslam about the state of the property. He promised to repair the damage but no repairs were carried out before the deadline set by the council in September last year.

On 3 March at Willesden Magistrates’ Court, Mr and Mrs Aslam were found guilty of failing to comply with a council improvement notice.

Tarrek and Saira Aslam were fined in excess of £5,000 for the leaving the house in an “appalling state of disrepair”.

Ms Ibrahim and her children are now waiting to be re-housed by the council.

Duncan Lewis Housing Lawyers

Duncan Lewis is one of the UK’s leading Legal Aid housing lawyers and can advise social housing tenants and private sector rental tenants on a wide range of housing matters, including:

• Disrepair of rented property
• Housing benefit
• Housing possession
• Landlord & Tenant disputes
• Local Authority housing
• Unlawful eviction.

For expert legal advice on housing matters, call Duncan Lewis housing lawyers on 020 7923 4020.

Call us now on 033 3772 0409 or click here to send online enquiry.
Duncan Lewis is the trading name of Duncan Lewis (Solicitors) Limited. Registered Office is Spencer House, 29 Grove Hill Road, Harrow, HA1 3BN. Company Reg. No. 3718422. VAT Reg. No. 718729013. A list of the company's Directors is displayed at the registered offices address. Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority . Offices all across London and in major cities in the UK. ©Duncan Lewis >>Legal Disclaimer, Copyright & Privacy Policy. Duncan Lewis do not accept service by email.