February has seen some of the more egregious examples of rogue landlords flouting the law and of unsafe homes slipping under the licensing radar. Unfortunately, the uglier side of the UK rental market has reared its head in many of these stories, which only serves to highlight the importance of greater levels of compliance and enforcement.
At Kamma, we understand that property licensing is complex, inconsistent and ever changing. Our technology and software cuts through that complexity to keep you on top of all the changes with clear and accurate advice. We analyse and sort data to help agents, landlords and surveyors understand the impact of Property Licensing and Planning Permission on their properties and assets. By leveraging technology and data, we want to ensure that no tenant has to live in substandard or unsafe accommodation again.
Contact us now for a product demo and to understand how Kamma can bring value to your business.
February’s Top Unlicensed Properties and Rogue Landlords:
Managing agent caught out renting squalid and unsafe two-bedroom flat to 32 people
Council officers in Tower Hamlets raided the flat after a tip off and found it was being operated as an illegal and dangerously overcrowded HMO. The flat was discovered to contain over 30 people, including two ten-year-old children, who took it in turns to sleep. The Mayor of Tower Hamlets commented on the case, “Too often we see the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society being taken advantage of by rogue landlords and it is right that the courts have sent a strong message that this will not be tolerated”.
The property’s owner has been fined, along with the managing agency and its director, for more than £30,000 collectively.
£120k fine for landlord and agent after fatal fire in unlicensed HMO
A three-bed house in Southall, which was converted to an illegal five-bed HMO, tragically caught fire in January, leading to the death of a 17-year old girl.
The property had ten occupants at the time, including a family of five who all slept in one room. An investigation revealed that the property had no fire alarm system and lacked rudimentary fire safety measures. This tragedy could have easily been avoided had the landlord sought a licence to begin with, when the council would have required the property to have installed basic fire safety measures and a fire detection system.
A councillor from Ealing council commented:
“A family has been torn apart due to the negligence of this landlord and his agents; the fire would have been contained and minimised if proper procedures had been followed. The harm that arose stemmed directly from the owner and agent’s failure to licence the property, which they deliberately avoided doing because they knew the house was unfit”.
The maximum civil financial penalty of £30,000 was issued to the landlord. The managing agents, Homeseekers Ltd, as well as its two directors, Narinder and Joginder Singh, were all issued with a penalty of £30,000.
Huge £100k+ fines for Camden based property agents
A two-bed flat in King’s Cross, which was haphazardly converted into a four-bedroom property and illegally rented out to five occupants, has led to huge fines being ordered to its managing companies. Upon visiting the property, council officers found damaged wiring in the bathroom and both the fire alarms and fire escapes in the property were deemed to be inadequate.
Found guilty for operating an unlicensed HMO and breaching safety regulations, Simple Properties Management Ltd received a £40,000 fine, while the company’s director, Mr Cespedes was handed a £30,000. In addition to this, Simple Properties London Ltd and its director, Mr Ferrin, both pleaded guilty to operating the unlicensed HMO and were fined £18,000 each.
A third party involved in the property’s letting, Roomshub Limited and its corresponding director were both fined £2,500 for not complying with a notice from the council requesting legal information.
Camden council is currently proposing to renew their additional licensing scheme for another five years.
Rogue landlord ordered to pay back 9 YEARS rent after dodging planning permission on illegal flats
The property’s owner, Mr. Soyebo, has three months to pay the £190k penalty back or else face prison after failing to comply with a planning enforcement notice.
His property had been converted into flats without planning permission back in 2009 and continued to let out the flats separately for over nine years, despite Brent council carrying several visits and serving a notice on him. Brent council has an Article 4 designation currently in place which removes the permitted development rights when converting land and buildings from a C3 class to a C4 class.
Click here for full story
Contact us or book a demo now to understand how Kamma can solve property licensing for you.
