A landlord and his letting agent who failed to declare they were operating a series of bedsits at an address in south London, have been prosecuted and fined.

Owner Javaid Akhtar and the agent Zahoor Mansoor failed to disclose that they were renting out eight bedsits in a three storey end-of-terrace house in Tooting.

Owners and managing agents of properties like this are both legally required to ensure that an HMO licence has been applied for. But because they had not applied for a licence both men pleaded guilty to breaching the Housing Act 2004 when they appeared before magistrates. 

Akhtar was ordered to pay £7,120 in fines and court costs and Mansoor £2,550. The case was brought to court by Wandsworth council. 

“This legislation was introduced to make sure that tenants are fully protected from potentially unscrupulous landlords who might want to make unreasonable profits by cramming in too many tenants or by cutting corners on fire safety. It is vitally important that homes that have been converted into multiple flats or bedsits are maintained to a high standard and that all the necessary safety measures are met in full” says a council spokesman.