London landlords fined in council clampdown

Two landlords have been handed hefty fines after pleading guilty to renting out shared houses without the correct paperwork.

The owner of a house in Fulham, west London, was fined £7,000 after admitting running a shared flat without a multiple occupancy licence.

Angela Bryan, who lives in Brockley, was also ordered to pay Hammersmith & Fulham council £1,200 in costs.

Magistrates heard that her terraced house was rented by four sharers between October 2017 and April 2019, so didn’t have the required multiple occupancy licence for a year and a half.

When the building was inspected, it was discovered that there were also issues with the wiring, including faulty light switches and missing earth leads. In all, the council sent Bryan six reminders to apply for the licence she needed.

In a second prosecution, Glenthorne Properties of Putney was fined £2,000, plus £450 costs, after pleading guilty to renting out a shared-occupancy four-storey town house at Hammersmith, without the correct licence.

The house was found to have five occupants, unrelated to each other.

A council spokeswoman says: “We will prosecute or impose financial penalties on any landlords who fail to comply with our strict licensing policy, which is designed to protect the safety and wellbeing of tenants in our borough.

“As these cases show, we will not hesitate to take strong legal action against any landlord who breaks the rules.”

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