A landlord who ‘crammed’ six families into a three-bedroom house has been ordered to pay almost £3,000 by a court.
David Sansom was successfully prosecuted by North West Leicestershire District Council after he turned a property he owned in Coalville into a multiple occupancy house without being licensed.
Council officials raided the house after being tipped off by members of the public.
Six families were discovered living in a three bedroom house in Coalville, Leicestershire
One family were found living in an attic space which had been converted into a further room
Officials told Leicester Magistrates’ Court the residents were living in dangerous conditions
The 53-year-old, of Waterworks Road, Leicestershire, allowed the families to rent space in the house, located in the same road as his own home, but failed to secure the necessary permission.
Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that it resulted in ‘at least eight tenants crammed into the house, with some living in a dangerous roof space’.
A spokesman for the district council said: ‘Environmental Protection Officers from the council made the discovery after a tip off from a member of the public.
‘After visiting the home in Waterworks Road they immediately issued an emergency prohibition to prevent the loft from being used as a habitable space.’
Three families were living in each of the of the bedrooms, while the ground floor living room had been partitioned to create rooms for two further families.
A sixth family were living in the hastily-converted loft.
The council spokesman said: ‘In total 14 issues were identified, with 10 offences used in a criminal prosecution against the landlord.’
These included not having a HMO (House in Multiple Occupancy) licence, electrics not being maintained in a safe condition, a lack of adequate fire precautions, obstructions to escape routes with the only exit from the loft being a collapsible ladder, and no fire or smoke alarms in the loft.
Sansom pleaded guilty to seven offences during the hearing.
Landlord David Samson pleaded guilty to seven offences at Leicester Magistrates’ Court
Samson’s legal team told the court their client was unaware so many people were in the house
Councillor Alison Smith warned other landlords that the local authority was looking to prosecute other landlords who rent out dangerous houses to tenants
In mitigation, his defence stated that the landlord had not realised so many people would move in to each of the rooms as he rented them out, and that work was planned to improve living conditions in the home.
Magistrates fined Sansom £145 for each offence, totalling £1,015, and ordered him to pay a £30 victim surcharge. He will also pay the council’s £1,911 legal costs.
Councillor Alison Smith, deputy leader of the council and portfolio holder for community services, said she hoped the case would act as a warning to other landlords.
She said: ‘This prosecution sends a strong message that homeowners cannot break licensing laws or allow tenants to live in dangerous conditions.
‘Legislation exists for a reason, and a there are a lot of factors that need to be considered before we will allow a home to be let to multiple tenants – not least the safety of the tenants themselves.’
She added: ‘This case shows we will investigate reports from the public and act if someone is disregarding the rules and regulations.’
The law has also been tightened up in respect of landlords renting out properties to several families.
It means that from October 1, 2018, any property with five or more people from two or more households must have an HMO licence granted by the district council.