Landlords face sentencing after e-bike fire fatality

Two landlords who let their two-bedroom flat in Tower Hamlets to as many as 22 people, have pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Housing Act 2004.

Tenant Mizanur Rahman died in a fire at the flat in Shadwell in March this year, caused by a faulty lithium-ion e-bike battery which was charging at the time. 

His death sparked an investigation by Tower Hamlets council into husband-and-wife landlords Sofina Begum and Aminur Rahman who owned the fourth-floor flat.

They have pleaded guilty to a total of nine offences under the Housing Act 2004. The case has been committed to Snaresbrook Crown Court for confiscation and sentencing at a hearing due on January 3.

Raj Mistry, interim corporate director of communities at the council, says: “Our thoughts and prayers are again with Mizanur Rahman’s family and friends. His tragic death and the appalling overcrowded conditions where he lived shocked us all. [This] court case sends the message that we will not tolerate landlords who risk the lives of our residents in our borough. We will act against landlords like Sofina Begum and Aminur Rahman, who put money over the safety and welfare of their tenants.”

Begum pleaded guilty to six charges, including allowing the premises to be overcrowded, failures to comply with licence conditions, carry out inspections and have a valid gas safety certificate, and failure to provide the council with requested documentation.

Rahman pleaded guilty to three charges including, allowing the premises to be overcrowded, failure to comply with licence conditions and for failing to provide the council with requested documentation.

A statement from Tower Hamlets council says it’s made it a priority to clamp down on rogue landlords operating in the borough and new additional licensing rules will come into force on 1 April 2024 for five years.

It claims to have helped 299 renters, who were living in unlicensed properties, claim back £1,043,047 in rent repayment orders.

And in a letter to the Home Secretary, the council has called for the government to do more to tackle the increasing number of fires caused by e-bikes and e-scooters. Since the campaign launched in September, the council has found and destroyed 81 imported and unsafe lithium batteries in local shops.

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