A landlord housing workers in unlicensed HMOs has been hit with a huge fine.
Jayanti Patel, Director of Martlane Ltd, was fined £60,200 for operating three HMOs without a licence.
Investigations by Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) found that Patel was housing staff in three separate properties across the district. Officers identified six offences across the three properties including not having the appropriate fire alarms and overcrowding.
Patel has been working closely with the council to ensure his properties now meet housing standards.
A statement from the council says: “It highlights our zero-tolerance approach to landlords who operate unlicensed sub-standard accommodation and sends a clear message that EFDC will take enforcement action where necessary.
“However, it could have been avoided if the landlord had taken the proper steps to ensure they had the correct licences, and the properties met the required housing standards from the start.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today