An unscrupulous landlord has been ordered to pay £47,500 after council officers found 11 people living in a small flat in Gorton, Manchester, which was unfit for occupation.
Officials visiting the building, which also included a ground floor shop, found several trip hazards, a damaged fire separation, potentially dangerous electrics and food safety issues during their inspection.
According to the officers, there were tenants sleeping in cramped rooms, mattresses scattered in common areas and peeling wallpaper.
A town hall spokesperson said that a prohibition notice was served on one of the bedrooms on the ground floor of the property on Abbey Hey Lane, M18, because it was too small to occupy.
“The occupant was required to share bathroom facilities with members of the public using the shop,” they said.
The landlord was served with an improvement notice which required them to make changes to the building. They failed to do so, and were fined £30,000.
In addition, the landlord was fined £17,500 for failing to meet the required landlord standards and licence the property as a house of multiple occupation (HMO).
Manchester City Council is determined to crackdown on rogue landlords, which is why it has issued fined totalling almost £200,000 over the past 12 months or so.
Over the last 12 months, the council, which has a dedicated rogue landlord team, has issued 19 prohibition notices which stop landlords letting a property, and 44 improvement notices served to reduce hazards - including excess cold, fire safety issues, damp and mould, no smoke alarms and electrical hazards.
Cllr Suzanne Richards, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing, commented: “We will always use every tool at our disposal to tackle the minority of landlords who do not take their responsibility seriously and seem happy to put their tenants at risk.
“Unfortunately, these landlords often prey on the most vulnerable people, who are often not in a position to challenge their landlord.
“Our message is clear - decent homes are a right that everyone should be able to enjoy. If you put your tenants at risk, we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice and help improve conditions for our residents, and in turn the wider community.”
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