A landlord has been ordered to pay £37,000 in fines and costs after Barnet Council inspectors found 18 tenants sharing a house in Edgware.
The home in Fairmead Crescent was originally built as a three-bedroom linked terraced house but had been converted into eight bedsits. It was being operated without a licence.
Following complaints from neighbours about noise, antisocial behaviour and overcrowding, council inspectors and police entered the property and found extreme overcrowding. One room was being shared by six people, including infants, and another room of only 7.8 square metres was occupied by two tenants.
The building did not meet safety standards, had an inadequate fire alarm system, and no safe means of escape in case of fire, as well as a rear garden that was filled with building waste, mattresses and other debris.
Landlord Charles Egbiremolen was found guilty at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 25, 2024, of nine offences including failing to licence the property, management and safety offences and failure to supply statutory information to the council.
The District Judge sentenced him on Wednesday, February 5, and described him as a “classic rogue landlord”.
A council spokesperson said: “The safety of our residents is paramount and we will not tolerate landlords who flout the rules in Barnet. It is the responsibility of every landlord to make sure that their properties comply with the law and their tenants are safe.
“Landlords who fail to licence or manage their HMOs or let properties in a state of disrepair risk prosecution or penalty notices of up to £30,000 per offence.”
Photo credit: Barnet Council
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