Landlord fined over £8k for ‘unacceptable’ safety breaches

A Lincoln landlord has been told to pay more than £8,000 for serious overcrowding and safety breaches.

Abdol Ali Javid Keshmiri of Wragby Road in Lincoln converted a house on Ely Street, also in Lincoln, into two flats with no regard to building controls or planning consent.

Enforcement officers found that there were six people living in one flat, and five living in the other, all in pretty squalid conditions.

In addition, City of Lincoln Council found that there was no safe means of escape in the event of a fire, no smoke detection in either of the flats, and broken and exposed electrical fittings throughout the properties.

David King, enforcement officer, commented: “The conditions at 11 Ely Street were shocking and dangerous, and showed that the landlord had little or no regard for his tenants’ safety.”

In court, Keshmiri was found guilty of all 11 charges, and was told to pay a total of £8,253, including costs.

Sentencing magistrates said: “The court has a job to do, and that job is to protect the vulnerable from rogue landlords such as Mr Keshmiri.

“The safety breaches were unacceptable and Mr Keshmiri had obstructed and frustrated the council’s investigations by failing to provide the documents and information requested.”

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