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Landlord fined for cramming vulnerable tenants in unsafe, overcrowded home

A landlord has been ordered to pay almost £10,000 after tenants were discovered living in appalling, cramped conditions, as Brent Council continues its campaign to crackdown on rogue operators in the private rented sector.

Shyam Popat admitted at Willesden Magistrates Court to breaching the conditions of his HMO licence, while he also failed to provide up-to-date certificates, tenancy documents or protection for his tenants’ deposits.

The court heard there were up to 24 tenants living in a six-bedroom flat, with two of the rooms found to be undersized.

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Aside from overcrowding, council inspectors discovered appalling conditions in the two-storey flat, situated over a commercial premises in Ealing Road, Wembley, including cockroaches and fire safety hazards.

Popat was also ordered to pay £6,000 for breaching the conditions and ordered to pay £3,953 in costs.

Cllr Harbi Farah, cabinet member for housing and welfare reform, said: “Rogue landlords like Mr Shyam Popat often believe their tenants choose to live in squalid conditions. It’s a characteristic of a rogue landlord to be forever promising to do repairs and meet deadlines and always failing to do so.

“We want to work with landlords to prevent this from occurring. It’s not acceptable for tenants to live in cramped, unhygienic and unsafe conditions.”

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