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A landlord from Darlington has been fined for a second time for continuing to allow tenants to live in a squalid shared house of multiple occupation (HMO). The landlord had previously been taken to court in March of last year for breaching HMO regulations and fined £3,300,but despite the hefty fine and the subsequent
cancellation of his HMO license, he ignored the ban on letting the property out to tenants.
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Caught Out by the Police
He was caught out when police were called to an incident at the property. The council were then alerted to the fact that tenants were still living in what can only be described as “terrible” conditions. The property was filthy, full of rubbish and had no running water.
“It Wasn’t My Fault, Your Honour!”
The landlord claimed in his defense that the tenants had threatened him and refused to leave the property, but the council were not convinced and fined him again for breaching HMO regulations.
In a statement from Darlington Borough Council, the private housing sector manager, David Burrell, said: “The landlord continued to rent out the property despite knowing that it was not safe for tenants to live in. He endangered not only his tenants but also those of neighbouring properties.”
It is hard to believe anyone would want to live like that, but unfortunately some tenants have no choice if they want a roof over their head and such scenarios are all too common, particularly in shared houses owned by rogue landlords.
