A landlord whose Home in Multiple Occupation was closed down by the local council has been left with a court bill of nearly £16,000.

Stanley John Rodgers, 73, was prosecuted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s environmental services department.

The council inspected the property in January following a complaint from a tenant. Five people, including a pregnant woman, were living in the end of terrace property.

The house was found to be an unlicensed HMO which fell so far short of the expected standards that the council was left with no other option but to use its legal powers to close down the property to prevent its occupation and then prosecute Rodgers.

Rodgers pleaded guilty at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court last week to managing or controlling an unlicensed HMO. He also pleaded guilty to another five related charges.

Rodgers was fined £13,333 and told to pay costs of £2,427.22 plus a £120 victim surcharge.

“In this case, the scale of the fine – the highest possible when a guilty plea has been entered – reflects the seriousness of the offence. The electrics, in particularly, were dangerous and had to be disconnected straightaway” says a council spokesman.