A rogue landlord has been handed a hefty fine for renting out a dangerous and mouldy property – his second in two years.
Hazmar Fauz, of The Avenue in Welwyn, admitted several serious defects at the house in London Road, Luton, when he appeared before magistrates and was fined £10,800 with £4,888 costs.
Fauz was previously prosecuted for HMO offences in 2021 when he was fined more than £20,000, making a mockery of the Government’s attempts to clamp down on rogue landlords who give legitimate BTL investors a bad name.
Although the property in London Road, Luton (pictured) was licensed, it had a litany of dangerous features including rotting and unsecured flooring obstructing fire pathway escapes, missing and covered heat detectors, disconnected door self-closing devices, an ill-fitting fire door and a general lack of fire detection apparatus.
Gross neglect
The court heard that along with the presence of damp and mould and a failure to display the correct certificates and contact details at the property, these failings amounted to a gross neglect of Fauz’s responsibilities to the tenants and a breach of his licence.
Councillor Tom Shaw (pictured), Luton council’s portfolio for housing, says it’s another good result for Luton Council’s Rogue Landlord Project – and for tenants throughout the town. “It is a reminder to all landlords that with their position comes legal responsibility,” he explains.
“In this case it was especially worrying that the inactivity of the landlord placed the tenants at risk of significant harm. This is intolerable.”
He adds: “It is simply not enough to make legally binding commitments on paper and then fail to stick by them. Being a landlord means regularly inspecting the premises and then ensuring issues are dealt with immediately and standards are maintained.”
