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Unlicensed HMO and safety breaches land private landlord with £12,000 penalty (25 May 2017)

Date: 25/05/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Unlicensed HMO and safety breaches land private landlord with £12,000 penalty

Brent Council in north London has prosecuted the owner of a property in Wembley for failing to licence the property and building an illegal extension at the rear.

Brent Council prosecuted Mrs Suhasini Gurusinghe of Kingsbury when she failed to respond to notice that the licence of the property – Ranis 1 Hotel, 62 London Road in Wembley – had expired.

The council said that, after the licence expired, several unsuccessful attempts were made to contact Mrs Gurusinghe to establish whether the property was still rented and therefore required a licence.

Visits to the property revealed that it was rented to six individual tenants as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) – and had previously been used as bed and breakfast accommodation.

The property was found to be in poor condition, with a broken front door, no fire safety protection and no gas or electrical inspection certificates.

At the rear of the property was a poorly constructed and structurally unstable rear extension being used as a kitchen, which had been built without planning permission.

A building surveyor's inspection of the extension revealed that it could collapse at any time – and was in danger of catching fire due to electricity being used from extension leads and the presence of Calor gas canisters.

Water for the sink and washing machine were being supplied by rubber pipework connected from inside the main property.

At Willesden Magistrates’ Court in April, Mrs Gurusinghe was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000 and a £170 victim surcharge.

The offences in breach of the Housing Act 2004, which requires HMO accommodation such as Ranis 1 Hotel to be licensed.

After sentencing, Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Harbi Farah, said:

“Landlords who put the safety of tenants at risk and are only concerned about profits should be ashamed of themselves and will not be tolerated in Brent.

“Serious harm could have been caused to these tenants due to the condition of the property if we had not intervened.

“We will continue to prosecute landlords who have no regard for the safety of those living in their properties.”


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