3
Sep
Landlord fined £32,000 after letting out ‘appallingly
dangerous’ home
A truly horrific case has resulted in a landlord being
fined £32,070 after he let out a small terrace house that the
court said could have killed his foreign tenants.
Every single space in the property other than the kitchen and
bathroom was used as a bedroom, including a space where the ceiling
was less than four feet high.
Tenants at the house in Darlington were also found sleeping on the
floor.
The tenants were described at Darlington Magistrates Court on
Monday as vulnerable and exploited.
Officers at Darlington Borough Council and the Border Agency
uncovered an “appallingly dangerous” property
overcrowded by the tenants.
Fire exits were blocked, fittings were broken, there was no gas
safety certificate, plug sockets were overloaded and electrical
fittings were left dangling.
Mizan Abdin, 27, did not attend the hearing but pleaded guilty by
letter to 17 counts of failing to comply with HMO regulations and
one of failing to have a licence to manage his property.