A property company and its owner have been fined approaching £5,000 for operating an illegal House of Multiple Occupancy.

Souhil Laib, owner and director of Laib Property Investment Limited, has been found guilty for a second time for operating an HMO without a licence from Rhondda Cynon Taf council’s environmental health department.

He has been the ‘person in control’ of premises that housed eight flats since 2021. In March 2022, he received official notification  that a HMO Licence was required, following a building survey report confirming that the property was not converted in line with the standards of the 1991 Building Regulations.

A statement from the council says it worked with Laib over the course of two years to help and advise him on getting a licence. During this time the local authority received a copy of a legal notice from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in relation to inadequate fire precautions at the premises. Following a full investigation of the premises the council contacted all leaseholders at East Court to advise them of the situation and informed them to contact Laib.

Another inspection of the communal areas and most of the flats in the building revealed that the communal area had no lighting, dampness and issues with the stair treads.  The buildings intercom system was also not working.  

Following this visit an Improvement Notice was served on the Laib Property Investment Limited requiring the Freeholder to resolve these issues.  The Improvement Notice did not cover fire safety issues as this was being dealt with between the freeholder and the Fire Service.

However, the council statment says that despite continuous attempts to advise Laib, the council had no choice other than to refer the matter to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court.

In 2024 Laib Property Investment Limited and Laib were found guilty in their absence at Merthyr Magistrates Court of operating an unlicensed HMO which required licensing. They were given a combined fine of over £2,278. 

In January this year, as no HMO licence application was received and no evidence had been submitted to demonstrate that the building should not be licensed, the matter was once again referred to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court.

Laib was again found guilty and he and Laib Property Investment Limited were both fined £770 for operating without a licence, £215 costs and a £308 surcharge, giving a total of £1,293 each, to be paid within 28 days. This brings the total fine for the second conviction to £2,586 for Laib as the owner and, Laib Property Investment Limited, with Laib listed as company director.  

In total the combined fine for both convictions for all involved is almost £5000 – with the total coming to £4,864.