The owner of a letting agency in Southend has been ordered to pay £17,000 after breaching housing conditions after inspectors found him to be letting a family of five live in one small room.
Inspectors visited 21 Clifftown Road in Westcliff-on-Sea in December 2021 and found multiple breaches of house of multiple occupancy (HMO) conditions.
Officers from Southend-on-Sea City Council found the property, owned by the letting agent, had disrepair to windows and staircases, a lack of fire safety, and waste underneath an outside staircase. The inspecting officer also found evidence of overcrowding as a family, with two adults and three children living in one room.
Ruhul Shamsuddin and his company Lordsons Estates were found guilty ‘in absence’ of all 23 offences at Colchester Magistrates Court.
On Friday 7 July 2023 both Shamshuddin and the company were fined a total of £17,293 by Basildon Magistrates Court.
Cllr David Garston, cabinet member for housing and planning, commented: “Landlords who exploit the vulnerabilities of people in need and provide substandard and unsafe accommodation will be caught and will face consequences.
“I’m so pleased we were able to relocate this family living in overcrowded conditions and I am so pleased the courts recognised the seriousness of the charges and imposed such a fine as this sends the right message out to others who may want to flout the rules.”
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