London landlord, Lettings of London Ltd, has been ordered to pay over £50,000 after pleading guilty to a total of 18 offences relating to two of its houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
London Landlord Fined over Fire Safety
The North London landlord and letting agent were found guilty by magistrates at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court and now has to pay fines of £10,000 and £43,000 to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Council officers initially carried out an inspection of the properties back in 2018, and a number of deficiencies were found, including the fire safety equipment in both houses not being properly maintained, so it was in good working order.
The landlord had initially argued that the properties were kept in a good state of repair, inspected regularly and that any safety issues were rectified in good time. Both properties also lacked working fire alarms or fire blankets, self-closers fitted to the fire doors were not functional, the emergency lighting system was not working, and there were a number of loose coping stones and rusted handrails on an external fire escape staircase outside of one of the properties.
Simon Russell, WHBC’s corporate director, said of the prosecution: “This is the second case we have brought this year, resulting in one of the largest fines we have ever seen for offences relating to HMOs. These were serious breaches of fire safety law and could have led to someone being severely injured or worse.”
He continued, “Landlords are able to join our council-run accreditation scheme, which makes it easier for them to understand how to meet high standards of practice.”
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