Despite repeated warnings from officers from Brent Council’s Private Housing Services team, Khalid Latif and his agents PMC Management and Collections did nothing to bring the property on Chandos Road in Willesden Green up to a licensable standard.
The six tenants who lived in the four bed property approached Brent to complain about its poor living conditions, which included no hot water or central heating, rotten and damp fittings and scant regard for basic fire safety principles.
Watford-based Mr Latif, who has owned the run down property since 2000, was earning over £2,500 per month in rent from it.
Brent Magistrates Court heard that Brent Council had repeatedly contacted both Mr Latif and PMC Management and Collections over the course of eight months and visited the house on several occasions to find no repairs had taken place. They were both convicted of failing to licence the property. The magistrates considered the hazards found in the house as aggravated circumstances and fined both Mr Latif and PMC Management and Collections £9,500, with £695 each in costs and £120 each in victim surcharge – a total of £20,630.
Cllr Harbi Farah, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Housing, said: “Unlicensed, unsafe properties like this are a danger to the entire community and it is unacceptable that anyone in London should have to rent a property that lacks basic facilities like hot water. The vast majority of landlords and lettings agents in Brent are honest and law abiding, but we take a zero tolerance approach to the minority who think they can treat their tenants like this.
Our licensing scheme ensures that landlords maintain their rental properties to a decent standard. If you’re a landlord, failure to licence your property could result in an unlimited fine and a criminal record.”
