A London council has successfully prosecuted two rogue landlords for renting out an unlicensed property in West Kensington.

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The two landlords Francesco Grasso and Top Holding Ltd.’s recent appeal failed against being found guilty of three charges two years ago in September 2022.

The three charges were for managing and owning an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation, failing to ensure the renters safety by not taking required measures to do this and for not displaying information for the tenants to contact the responsible manager for any issues.

The unlicensed HMO property housed six tenants who had to share a kitchen that was extremely small and the landlords also failed to install the necessary fire safety measures.

Hammersmith & Fulham council’s spokesperson, says: “Resident safety is our top priority. We are unwavering in our commitment to protect residents renting a home in Hammersmith & Fulham in the private sector. We believe that everyone deserves a secure and comfortable place to call home. Despite the lengthy court proceedings, justice was eventually served on the rogue landlords. We want H&F to be the best place to live, work and socialise.”

The council’s officers were originally contacted by one of its tenants in 2019 and due to lengthy delays caused by the pandemic and the defendants unhelpful stance, the trial was eventually held in September 2022 in the City of London Magistrates Court, with the accused being found guilty on all three counts.

The wife of Grasso and owner of the property Margaret Cabo was found guilty of being responsible for the management of the unlicensed HMO.  However she was able to hold a successful appeal against the two other charges because the court decided that Cabo was not responsible for the day to day running of the HMO and was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £14,500 in costs.