A landlord has been prosecuted for endangering the lives of tenants by letting out five very poorly managed and unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in High Road, Ilford (Photos on Flickr).
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Both Amarjit Sanger, aged 37, of Levett Gardens, Ilford and ARJ Investments Limited, which Mr Sanger is a Director of, were successfully prosecuted at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday 23 July. They pleaded guilty to a total of 75 Housing Act offences and received fines and confiscations of £39,300.
The landlord disregarded housing legislation and placed his tenants’ at considerable risk. Following the initial inspection in September 2011, investigations by Redbridge Council Housing Standards Team lead to the discovery of a further four unlicensed HMOs on High Road, Ilford, all owned and managed by the same landlord.
There were unsafe gas and electrical installations and the properties had been poorly converted to HMOs without planning or building control consent. The premises were not licensed and were very poorly managed. The properties lacked adequate means of escape from fire and adequate fire alarms had not been installed.
Other areas of concern included:
- Tenants found living in the cellar without any natural lighting or ventilation
- Gas leak discovered by Council Officers during the inspection
- Lack of fire rated doors
- Lack of handrails or banisters
- Poor drainage systems
- Overcrowding
- Failure to comply with Emergency Prohibition Order that prohibited a HMO from being used for living or sleeping accommodation; Council officers discovered people living in the unsafe premises six months after the Order had been served.
Following the Council’s intervention, the properties are no longer used as HMOs and a major refurbishment programme has be carried out by the landlord.
Councillor Michelle Dunn, Cabinet Member for Housing said, “In terms of the number of offences, to date this is the largest prosecution in the history of the Borough.”
“Redbridge is working hard to help drive up standards in the private rented sector and while the vast majority of landlords manage their properties well, there are some who flout the law and place their tenants’ lives at risk”
“The Council’s Housing Standards team ensures that properties within Redbridge are safe to live in and they can take enforcement action where a landlord is not maintaining their property to the correct standard. These prosecutions serve as a good reminder to all landlords of their responsibilities to their tenants.”
If you have any concerns about a privately rented property, call the Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 020 8554 5000. The details will be passed on to the Council’s Housing Standards team to investigate.
