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A council has taken over the running of an HMO which it claims had 17 residents living in dangerous and cockroach-infested conditions.

Camden Council in London has issued an Interim Management Order on the property, called the Happy Vale Hotel, meaning that the authority takes over day to day management and undertakes a programme of repairs.

Camden's environmental health officers reportedly found raw sewage which had caused a floor to rot and collapse, cockroach and mouse infestations in bedrooms, bathrooms and food preparation areas, fire doors wedged open and much of the emergency lighting not working properly, and extensive disrepair in some rooms.

The landlord, Stephen Paul Gethin, has now been found guilty of managing an unlicensed HMO and 14 other housing offences. He has been ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling over £20,000.

Camden Council says it may go on to seek to obtain a Final Management Order which will allow it to manage the letting and refurbishment of the property for five years. If that happens, its rental income from residents will be used to fund repairs and improvements.

In 2009 Camden became the first council in the country to use an FMO to take over the management of a poorly managed property in Kilburn.

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