28th
Aug 2015
A landlord is under investigation because of his apparent charge for room in a Newham house, with just enough space in a room to place a floor mat, for £500 per month.
A concerned neighbor informed the council and officers turned up at the property whose landlord had not supplied any electrical and gas safety certificates for the house. He had also failed to supply details of tenancy agreements for the property which is mandatory within the council’s landlords’ licensing scheme.
Upon entry into the three bed roomed house, council officers accompanied by police discovered that five rooms were being used for sleeping accommodation, one of which was a loft conversion. The landlord had told the council that the property was being rented out to just one family; however the team saw that there were in fact ten people sleeping in the house.
A council representative said that some tenants were paying a monthly rent of £200 to £250. Despite this claim one tenant stepped forward and said that he had to pay £500 per month to sleep on a mat on the floor.
At present the investigation is ongoing and the mayoral advisor for housing in Newham, Andrew Baikie, said: “Our pioneering private rented sector licensing scheme is using council data to hone in on landlords who are exploiting tenants by cramming them into houses to make a quick profit. During a joint operation with the police on Monday we found this three-bedroom property in East Ham with evidence of ten sleeping areas, including this mat. We are still investigating, but this landlord can expect to hear from us in the near future about potential breaches of housing regulations and licensing laws.”
A spokesman for the police, Inspector Phil Stinger, stated: “Multiple occupancy houses can generate increases in demand on both the police and local services as they often house a hidden population, many of whom are in the UK illegally. We carry out weekly joint visits to addresses and deal with properties that generate high levels of anti-social behaviour and crime, whilst targeting landlords who are taking advantage of their tenants.”
Image Source: @MPSNewham / Twitter
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