Goole Landlord Prosecuted For HMO Offences

A landlord in Goole has to pay £2,638 after failing to licence a property in multiple occupation as well as failing to comply with fire safety regulations.

Alison Asadi-Aghdam, 54, of Sutton Street, Goole, appeared at Beverley Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 4 October, where she pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to license a property operating as a house in multiple occupation and another offence of failing to comply with management of houses in multiple occupation regulations in relation to fire safety.

Magistrates were told how Asadi-Aghdam had come to the attention of officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s private sector housing officers earlier this year while they were conducting investigations into Easy London Accommodation Ltd, who were operating as an agent for a number of properties in Goole.

The court heard how Asadi-Aghdam was the owner of the three-bedroom terraced property on Sutton Street in Goole, which was being let to Easy London Accommodation Ltd.

Officers attended the property on 24 April this year they found three people living there, with another tenant away on holiday.

An inspection of the premises found fire protection measures were inadequate as there were no working smoke detectors, fire doors, smoke seals or fire blankets to protect the tenants in the event of a fire and external doors were not fitted with the correct locks which would help assist in an escape.

A further inspection in May found that battery operated smoke detectors had been installed at the request of the council and there were four tenants living in the property, which Asadi-Aghdam said she knew about but claimed she thought they were related but failed to make the relevant checks.

She was fined £500 for each offence, told to pay costs of £1,638.64.

Chris Dunnachie, private sector housing and safety manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“The penalties for those who break the law are serious and this case serves as another example of how an East Riding landlord ignored this and failed to ensure simple measures were in place to protect tenants in the event of a fire.”

“We will be targeting properties over the next year, in consultation with the fire authority, to identify such dangers and we will take appropriate action against rogue landlords to ensure the safety of the tenants living in them.”