A rogue landlord who forced her tenants to live in squalid conditions has been fined £3,000. Elizabeth Johnson, owner of Bronze Investments Limited, rented out a home on Waldo Road, near Old Oak.
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When an officer from Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council visited the property on January, 20 2012 he found numerous serious hazards. These included inadequate heating, penetrating damp and dampness from condensation, dangerous electrics and poor fire safety.
Johnson, whose business is registered on Finchley Road, is Golders Green, refused to cooperate with the council
and the home was served with a Prohibition Order. This meant that it was now illegal for the home to be lived in until the vital safety work had been done.
This did not deter the landlord from hell and when the council returned in October 2012 they discovered that the tenants were still living there. Prosecution proceedings were instigated and a subsequent visit in February 2013 even found new tenants living there. The council therefore prosecuted Johnson for breaching the Prohibition Order.
Johnson failed to attend Hammersmith Magistrates on Tuesday May 7. In her absence, she was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £1,298 and a victim’s surcharge of £15.
Cllr Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, cabinet member for transport and technical services, said: “This property was a potential death-trap with its tenants living in some quite dreadful conditions. This case should be a warning to all landlords to make sure that their properties are up to a decent standard. This council will clamp down hard on any landlord that is willing to endanger the lives of its tenants and ensure that they face the consequences.”
