A Nottingham landlord has been fined £29,000 after a rental property on Alfreton Road was found to be in a filthy and verminous condition with a rat infestation.
Nottingham HMO Ltd, of Unit C17, Private Road 2, Colwick Industrial Estate, directed by Mr Nazaquat Azam and previously by Mr Yusif McCallum until 30 November 2015, was found guilty of breaching HMO Management Regulations, and failing to respond to a demand for information under the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 September.
The Magistrate fined the business £19,000 for failing to comply with a number of Regulations under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, and £10,000 for failure to respond to a Notice requesting information under Section 16 of the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976; the Court also awarded costs of £1450.
Community Protection’s Housing Licensing & Compliance Team originally visited in January 2016 to assess the property for suitability for a HMO Licence. During the inspection the property was found to be in a state of disrepair with serious lapses in the management of the dwelling. This included the property having no working fire detection system and the integrity of the fire doors being compromised due to damage. The house was in a filthy and verminous condition with an infestation of rats in the kitchen. The licence has since been refused.
The HMO Management Regulations 2006 apply to all HMOs, whether they require a licence or not.
Councillor Nicola Heaton, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said: “Nottingham HMO Ltd completely ignored the advice given to them for their own financial gain, placing their tenants at the risk of harm. This is simply ‘profit before safety’ and the landlord has been held accountable for their criminal actions. We will continue to rigorously enforce the law, ensuring that privately rented housing in Nottingham is up to the required standards for citizens, who have the right to live in a decent and safe home.
“We welcome this conviction and hope that it sends a message out to private landlords who may think about cutting corners on the standard of accommodation.
“Nottingham citizens have the right to live in safe accommodation, and our housing teams work hard with other agencies to ensure that this happens.”