Rogue tenant jailed for 16 weeks for illegally sub-letting HMO

A head tenant who changed the locks on a property that was illegally sublet to no fewer than 35 men has been jailed for 16 weeks.

Ilie Florin Dragusin bolted the men out of a converted three-bedroom semi-detached house after the property was raided by Brent council officers in September last year.

Dragusin was one of three head tenants at the property in Kingsbury, where 35 tenants were found to be living in substandard conditions in an unlicensed HMO.

Councillor Eleanor Southwood, the council cabinet member with responsibility for housing and welfare reform, says: "This custodial sentence sends a strong message to anyone thinking that they can get away with illegally evicting their tenants. The punishment is prison. We will help people in the private rented sector who are suffering from the actions of rogue landlords, sub-letters and agents."

Dragusin, who was living with his parents in Edgware before being taken into custody, ignored four sets of warnings by enforcement officers not to change the locks on the property. 

Willesden Magistrates Court heard how he showed no regard for the people he had locked out after removing their belongings from their home.

The custodial sentence is the second jail term that Brent Council has seen brought against a person for unlawful eviction since licensing came into force at the end of 2015.