Landlord fined £11,000 for ‘cramming’ rental property

A landlord has been hit with an £11,000 fine after putting his tenants' lives at risk.

Javeed Hossain was prosecuted by the London Borough of Hillingdon Council for cramming too many tenants into a rental property in Harlington. 

The three-storey property – which also lacked correct fire safety measures – was operating as a house of multiple occupation (HMO).

After an initial investigation by the council, Hossain was ordered to obtain an HMO licence, limiting the number of tenants to six, and to install a fire warning and protection system. 

A subsequent visit by council officers found that not only had the landlord breached the HMO licence by housing ten tenants, he had also failed to install the fire safety system.

At Uxbridge Magistrates Court last month, Hossain was found guilty for failing to comply with the Housing Act HMO licence. 

A total fine of £11,000 plus a victim surcharge of £120 was imposed and the council was awarded full costs of £884.

Councillor Keith Burrows, Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling at Hillingdon Council, called Hossain an unscrupulous landlord and said that he put his tenants’ lives at risk. 

“He put his greed before their welfare by cramming too many people into the house and pocketing the rent. I am pleased that the courts have imposed such a heavy fine on Mr Hossain, reflecting the seriousness of his offences," Councillor Burrows added.

Hossain is the latest landlord to pick up a hefty fine from the authorities. Earlier this week we reported on a West Midlands landlord who was fined over £6,000 for renting out a property with ‘poor living conditions’.  

And last week, a landlord in Southend was fined for failing to carry out vital repair works.