An unlicensed Hammersmith landlord  rented his property to five students, not caring that it had a solitary toilet that leaked waste and that the boiler was broken.

The students constantly pleaded with him to at least rectify the boiler situation but to no avail as they were ignored. Finally the students went direct to Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s private housing and health service, which carried out a full  investigation and took action at the beginning of this year.

Upon visiting the property, the officers immediately saw its dire state and knew that the tenants were at immediate risk. They made calls and arranged for a new boiler to be installed, together with fixing the disgusting toilet. They also turned their attentions to the landlord by taking legal action against him for failure in acquiring an HMO licence amongst other contraventions.

 

At the Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court last month, the council’s lawyer called for action of levying  a large fine upon the landlord for causing so much mental and physical hardship to his tenants. He reported that for a total four weeks the students had to endure living conditions without any heating or hot water.

The landlord failed to attend was found guilty of four offences under the Housing Act.

In his absence he was given fines of £15,000 for not licensing the property as an HMO, £5,000 for not maintaining the boiler, another £5,000  for not repairing a leaking soil pipe in the toilet, and another £3,000 for failing to respond to an investigator’s request for information.

He also had to  pay costs of £2,160 and a victim surcharge of £120. Needless to say the tenants moved out in February and are able to submit applications for some of their rent to be paid back to them.

Cllr Lisa Homan, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “This is a fantastic result – both for the tenants, who were forced to endure a miserable winter without heating or hot water, and for our private housing and health team, who did not hesitate in taking action when it was needed. We will continue to crack down hard on landlords who think they can get away with allowing their tenants to suffer in sub-standard conditions.”

Existing Houses of Multiple Occupation licences must be held by landlords if a property is rented out to 5 or more tenants, or has three plus storeys with a shared toilet and bathroom.