SWMRlandlord – By Imogen Howse
A “rogue landlord” has been fined £37k after he filled a three-bed home with 18 people – including babies.
Charles Egbiremolen, 57, illegally converted his three-bed property in Edgware into eight bedsits which he rented out to tenants without a licence, Barnet Council said.
His offending was discovered after the authority received reports from neighbours of noise, overcrowding, and antisocial behaviour.
Inspectors visited the property and found extreme overcrowding – with a single room shared by six people, and another room measuring at only 7.8 square metres.
As well as being overcrowded, the home did not to meet safety standards – with an inadequate fire alarm system and no safe means of escape in case of fire, the council said.
Officers also reported that the back garden was filled with building waste, mattresses, and other debris, that there was a kitchen in a separate structure in the garden, and there was disrepair throughout the property.
Egbiremolen was found guilty of nine offences at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on November 25 last year.
These included failing to licence the property, a failure to supply statutory information to the Council, and several management and safety offences.
In his sentencing on February 5, the district judge described Egbiremolen as a “classic rogue landlord” – who he said was “not a person who responds positively to laws and regulations.”
A spokesperson for Barnet Council said: “The safety of our residents is paramount and we will not tolerate landlords who flout the rules in Barnet.
“It is the responsibility of every landlord to make sure that their properties comply with the law and their tenants are safe.
“Landlords who fail to licence or manage their HMOs or let properties in a state of disrepair risk prosecution or penalty notices of up to £30,000 per offence.”
