13th
Nov 2023
A landlord and director of a property management company were found guilty of housing tenants in an HMO which put their lives in considerable risk, following a council investigation.
Kensington and Chelsea housing officers undertook an early morning raid at the 22 bedroom HMO in Hyde Park Gate in 2021 and discovered a multitude of damp and fire risks for the tenants.
The guilty Blackstone Properties Management Limited and director of the company Mohamed Ali Rasool were fined £480,000 and costs at Westminster Magistrate Court earlier this month.
Upon entering the house council officers found inadequate fire separation between bedrooms and protection in the boiler room or lobby, faulty and damaged fire doors, burnt out along with loose electrical sockets and covered fire alarms.
Tenants were found having to cook food in their rooms using camping style were using camping-style appliances rather than proper kitchen facilities. Throughout the property there was severe mould growth and rising damp as well as single glazed windows with rotten frames and broken sashes.
The whole property was so damp that there was an infestation of mushrooms growing upper floors.
A council spokesperson says: “Let this judgement be a clear lesson to other landlords and agents - if you are offering poor quality accommodation we will find you and we will come after you.
“We want the best homes in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Our landlord licensing schemes are seeking out the bad operators to ensure safer homes for everyone and a fairer market for good operators.
“Privately rented homes form a crucial part of our housing mix but they must be up to scratch. Our teams stand by to help and assist landlords in answering concerns or offering suggestions about how to improve your properties."
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