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Immingham Landlord Fined For Licence Breach On Investment Property

An Immingham private landlord is facing a bill of £1380 after he was found to be renting his investment property out as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) without the correct licence.

Yordan Kaloyanov, 37, of Immingham, was taken to court by North East Lincolnshire Council. Housing enforcement officers and Humberside Police raided his rental property and discovered that he had been renting it to multiple people without a licence. The property also contained several other issues.

Upon entering the property it became apparent to officers that several people were residing there. Many of the rooms had multiple beds in them and there were far more shoes at the entrance of the property than there should have been. Although here was no one in the property when officers arrived, it appeared as though some residents had recently left the property as a freshly cooked lasagne and garlic bread was found in one of the bedrooms.

In addition to the licensing breach, the property failed to meet the standards required for a HMO. It had no interlinked fire alarms and there was no evidence that fire alarms worked or had been tested recently. There were also no fire doors, intumescent strips or self-closing arms on the kitchen or bedroom doors. Finally, the property also lacked emergency lighting and exit doors did not have the required thumb turn locks.

Kaloyanov also did not have the required locks to the rear final exit door and the front door of the property. This meant that so that they could be opened from the inside without the use of a key. This did not meet regulations stating that escape routes must be free from obstruction.

Portfolio holder for housing, Councillor Peter Wheatley, said: ‘A large number of local people rely on rented accommodation and landlords are expected to uphold high standards. Unlicensed and poorly maintained houses are not acceptable. Not only are they exploitative in nature, they could also put people’s lives at risk. The Council wants to work with landlords to ensure that they are on the right side of the law. If landlords are unsure of what they should be providing for their tenants, they can contact our housing team via our website for more information.’

Following the inspection, the house was issued with an Emergency Prohibition under the Housing Act. Yordan Kaloyanov was prosecuted and was found guilty of six offences under the housing act and handed fines of £100 per offence. He was also made to pay additional costs of £750 and a victim surcharge of £30.

Source: Residential Landlord