Managing agent and landlords in court for 25 HMO offences

A managing agent and several landlords have been fined almost £5,000 after forcing tenants to live in unacceptable conditions in a shared house in Grays, Essex.

Devinder Singh Rai and Sohan Singh Rai, both of Barking in east London, were found guilty of failing to return information about a house in multiple occupation and failing to maintain the property in good repair.

Managing agent Ashford of Essex Limited, based in Goodmayes, and the company directors Akhtar Latif and Mohammed Mobeen Mian Imtiaz were also found guilty.

The court heard that Thurrock Council found 25 offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 when they visited the shared house in Grays in June last year.

The property contained five bedrooms, with unrelated occupants sharing a single kitchen, bathroom and WC. 

Among the issues identified were cables trailing along a front path, a water-damaged and split ceiling, a poorly secured front door, broken kitchen units, damp and a non-working gas boiler and cooker.

Basic information and documents were subsequently requested by the council as part of its investigation, but they were not provided.

Devinder Singh Rai and Sohan Singh Rai were each fined £850 and ordered to pay £790 costs and a £40 victim surcharge. 

Ashford of Essex Limited was fined £2,380 and ordered to pay £790 costs and a £40 victim surcharge, while Latif and Imtiaz were each fined £400 and told to pay £315 costs and a £70 victim surcharge.

A Thurrock council spokesman says: "This case is another reminder that we will not tolerate irresponsible landlords who fail to provide acceptable living conditions and have poor management arrangements in place. We have introduced a new additional licensing scheme in certain parts of the borough this month to tighten regulations around shared homes even further.”