Harley Street doctor whose clinic was opened by King is ordered to pay £17,000 to ‘garden shed’ tenant
A DOCTOR at a prestigious clinic has lost a court battle with a tenant who claimed he was forced to live in degrading and humiliating conditions in a rat-infested “shed”.
Dr Shantha Godagama, who practises traditional Indian medicine and acupuncture at a Harley Street clinic which was opened by King Charles in the 1980s, let out a “garden flat” to former chef Raymond Hanson, 52.
Acting as a landlord for his daughter, who owns the house, Dr Godagama, 78, tried to evict Mr Hanson for non-payment of more than £40,000 in rent.
But Mr Hanson claimed damages for being housed in “appalling” conditions.
The flat was effectively a “shed” in the garden, Mr Hanson claimed, without proper heating, an unfixed toilet bowl, serious damp issues and a rat infestation. Following a trial at Mayor’s and City County Court, London,
Dr Godagama and his daughter Sumuda Edirisnghe have been ordered to pay £17,000 to Mr Hanson and make the home “fit for human habitation”. Recorder Jonathan Gavaghan said Mr Hanson was due £58,000 damages, but it would be reduced to take account of the unpaid rent. Dr Godagama and his daughter potentially face a legal bill of over £80,000. The judge said: “The flat in particular did not have effective space heating, was not properly insulated, did not have hot water, was not properly ventilated, did not have a properly fixed toilet or sink and was subject to a rat infestation.
“That level of a failure to meet the requirement of human habitation is very considerable indeed.” Mr Hanson told the court he suffers from serious health issues and has been unemployed for years. He began renting the flat for £1,040 a month behind the house in Cricklewood, North London, in 2016. Mr Hanson’s barrister Nick Bano said it was a “humiliating, degrading and offensive environment”, adding that the “appallingly poor quality accommodation ... might fairly be described as a ‘bed-in-shed’ arrangement.”
He said it had been erected “without planning permission or building control consent”, adding: “The kitchen is unusable, the electrical system is dangerous, there is a rat infestation, and the decorations and fixtures are generally in a very poor state.
Unusable
“It is common ground that there is no heating system... so the tenant has always had to use portable electric or gas heaters. There is no hot water supply, the shower is unusable.” Representing himself, Dr Godagama accepted that it was in a poor state but blamed Mr Hanson for having work done himself and refusing access to workers to fix items.
The judge threw out a claim to evict Mr Hanson and ordered work be done on the flat. He dismissed harassment and disability discrimination claims by Mr Hanson.