Landlord fined over unsafe flat

CRUCIAL WORK IN WAKE OF GRENFELL TOWER HORROR WAS NOT CARRIED OUT

A PRIVATE landlord who failed to carry crucial safety work in the wake if the Grenfell Tower disaster has been fined.

Mohammed Deryo, 44, bought a one-bedroom 11th floor flat in Arthur Millwood Court in Rodney Street, Islington, Salford, over a decade ago.

Housing association Salix Homes owns and manages other properties in the 14-storey block, which have all undergone a programme of safety enhancement work.

After the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in June 2017, in London, which caused the deaths of 72 people, Salix Homes improved safety measures across all its high-rise buildings.

This included major works being carried out at Arthur Millwood Court, which included the installation of sprinklers and a new stateof-the art fire alarm system.

But Salix Homes staff could not get access to Mr Deryo’s flat.

As the flat is privately owned, Salix Homes reported it to Salford council’s housing standards team. It asked Mr Deryo to allow installation of an alarm linked to the whole block system. The alarm was successfully installed in January 2018 but the front door, which opened on to a communal hallway, was found to have gaps between the door and the frame. If a fire had started in Mr Deryo’s flat, the door would not hold back smoke. Mr Deryo was asked to fix the problem but did not respond and a notice was served on December 17, 2018, giving him six weeks to comply.

Mr Deryo failed to respond again and did not comply with the notice. An electrician for Salix Homes then reported the wiring in the flat was more than 30-years-old.

Mr Deryo was then asked to make contact with the council and arrange for urgent repairs. He failed to do so. Mr Deryo later had the flat rewired. He presented the council with an electrical installation certificate in May 2019 showing the work had been done and was safe.

But no heating had been installed and no work had been done to the front door by February 2020 – which meant the emergency prohibition order had been breached. At Manchester and Salford Magistrates Mr Deryo, of Birch Road, Crumpsall, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an Emergency Prohibition Order served under section 43 of the Housing Act 2004 when he appeared on November 18.

He was fined £4,000, ordered to pay costs of £3,562 and a victim surcharge of £190.

The landlord, Mr Deryo, was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,500 in costs