A letting agent and a landlord have been hit with heavy fines for failing to license their property after a fire broke out.
Landlord Wimalendran Jeyaruban and letting agent Chaudry Amir Ijaz, both from Thornton Heath near Croydon, must each pay £3,000 after being found guilty of failing to license an HMO.
Seven people had to be led to safety by fire crews following a blaze at the flat in January, as well as five others from the neighbouring property.
An inspection by Croydon council housing enforcement officers found there were five people living in the flat at the time of the fire, each of which paid £150 per month to Ijaz.
However he did not have an HMO licence, which is required by law when there are more than three unrelated people renting a property.
Following a previous inspection in 2012, Jeyaruban agreed to empty the unlicensed flat after it was found to be in use as an HMO. Yet he since let it out to Ijaz, who in turn rented it out as an HMO despite the warnings given by the council.
In addition to the fines, both defendants were made to pay £2,500 in court costs.
Croydon is one of many local authorities currently consulting over proposals introduce a landlord licensing scheme which requires all private landlords to have a licence.
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