Pictures have been shared of an unlicenced HMO where a council boss says tenants put up with "dangerous" accommodation "while paying top dollar for it".
Ruhul Mohammed Shamsuddin was handed down fines of £16,864 last Friday (July 7) as manager and landlord of a property at 90-90a West Road in Westcliff after Basildon Magistrates' Court heard how council officers acted on information given to them in April 2022 about the property being run as an unlicensed HMO.
An oven placed next to a sofa and toys (Image: Southend Council)
As well as overcrowding in the 11 letting room property, with 16 adults and five children living in the house, officers found a number of fire safety breaches.
This included some rooms having no access to a fire escape, extensive disrepair to communal areas, damp and mould, no heating and unsafely located cooking appliances.
16 adults and five children were living in the unlicensed HMO (Image: Southend Council)
The council’s investigation uncovered that Mr Shamsuddin is the company director of Lordsons Limited and Conker Property Management Limited.
Council officers found damp and mould in the property (Image: Southend Council)
He used Conker Property Management to form a tenancy agreement with the freeholder owners Valentine Lodge Ltd.
His company Lordsons Limited then became landlords by issuing tenancy agreements to the occupiers and charging a monthly rental income of £5,480.
All companies involved were part of the prosecution.
The landlord and agent have been fined a combined £23k (Image: Southend Council)
Mr Shamsuddin admitted, as limited company and company director, to a total of 17 offences including failure to licence a HMO, management regulation contraventions and failure to comply with the requirements of a Housing Act Notice.
Valentine Lodge Ltd admitted to one offence being failure to licence an HMO.
The council helped the families find alternative accomodation (Image: Southend Council)
A further £6,020 was fined to Valentine Lodge Ltd, the freehold owner of the property.
The council helped the families who were living there find alternative accommodation in the private rented sector.
Council officers found extensive disrepair (Image: Southend Council)
David Garston, Southend councillor responsible for housing and planning, said: “It is not OK that some of our residents are having to put up with substandard, dangerous and unlicensed accommodation, whilst paying top dollar for it.
“I am glad we were able to investigate and find evidence to support the allegations and that the court saw fit to make an example of this rogue landlord and fine a substantial amount of money. I am also glad that we were able to help the residents living in that home, find alternative private rented accommodation."
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