A landlord who continued to rent out a house to tenants despite being warned that it posed serious health and a safety risk has narrowly avoided prison.
Andrew Kennedy, 38, of Churchfield, Fulwood, Preston, was described by the judge at Preston Crown Court last week as “greedy and selfish” after hearing that he ignored a prohibition notice and allowed five people to carry on living at the mid-terraced two storey house on Hawkhurst Road, Penwortham, despite no smoke alarms being fitted.
With strong evidence against him, Kennedy had no alternative but to plead guilty to five fire safety charges and flouting a prohibition notice.
He was given 39 weeks suspended sentence for 18 months and 150 hours unpaid work.
After discovering fire safety breaches including no alarms, inadequate fire separation and inadequate means of escape from the attic – a removable wooden ladder through the hatch, Tony Crook, of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “I hope this case shows that people who have responsibilities to meet fire safety obligations but fail to do so face severe penalties – not just financial but, as in this example, potentially a custodial sentence as well.”
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