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The courts fined a landlord from Nottingham for various failings in the management of three family-owned HMOs, including allowing his tenants to live in cockroach-infested houses. The District Judge was disgusted at the conditions tenants had been forced to put up with and told the landlord:
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“human beings in the 20th century do not have to live in these conditions”.
Disgusting Living Conditions
When environmental health inspectors were called in they found the homes were filthy and full of live cockroaches. There were dodgy electrics and no evidence of safety certificates for electrical appliances. Shared bathrooms and kitchens were also in a very poor state. None of the HMOs were licensed and the judge expressed surprise that the local authority had allowed the situation to continue for as long as it had.
No Money to Spend on the Properties
The defence barrister told the court that the landlord and his father didn’t have any money to spend on the properties, which is why they had been allowed to degenerate into a terrible state. However the judge was unsympathetic and the landlord was prosecuted for 20 different offences and ordered to pay £45,628, including costs.
“We will not tolerate rogue landlords who offer sub-standard accommodation in Nottingham and refuse to meet their responsibilities to their tenants and the wider community. This case featured hazards and lack of proper management of properties which were putting the health, safety and welfare of the tenants at risk and I’m pleased that this prosecution has resulted in a guilty plea,” commented the leader of Nottingham City Council at the end of the hearing.
