A rogue landlord who repeatedly abused and intimidated tenants in his unlicenced HMO has been handed a £2,817 rent repayment order.
Nasir Ahmed threatened tenants Ebenezer Hagan and Farhan Bashir, even turning up in the middle of the night to demand that one of them leave while making racist comments, a First Tier Property Tribunal heard.
The pair rented a room in the property at 52 Thurgarton Street, Nottingham (pictured), believing there were two other tenants, but found five people when they moved in, in January 2022, creating congestion and overcrowding of the only bathroom.
Ahmed then persistently turned up at the property without good cause, sometimes late at night or early in the morning, unconnected with maintenance or repairs.
On one occasion, two men let themselves in and demanded the pair leave within 24 hours, and only left when the police were called. They returned with Ahmed the next day and sat in the living room until midnight, creating an intimidating atmosphere.
Assault
One night, a man who described himself as the landlord’s son assaulted Mr Bashir in the living room. He was arrested and charged with assault and possession of a knife – only to return to the property once again.
Nottingham City Council environmental health officers served a Suspended Prohibition Order limiting occupancy to four people in May, after they found 10 people living there. They also served a Prohibition Order citing excess cold as a category one hazard and category 2 hazards of fire and entry by intruders. The property also had no HMO licence.
Ahmed told the court it was not an HMO and denied allegations of harassment and attendance at unsocial hours. However, it ruled: “The tribunal is satisfied the respondent was guilty of behaviour calculated to cause the applicants to leave the property.”
Ahmed was given 28 days to appeal the ruling. Read the Tribunal report in full.
Read more about RROs.
