Couple fined over flat ‘not fit for human habitation’
PAIR HANDED £27K PUNISHMENT FOR ACT BREACH
A WEST London couple have been fined more than £27,000 for renting out a block of flats that was not “fit for human habitation” and where inspectors found a sewage pipe leaking.
Robin and Susan Kirstein, of Greenford, were fined £27,026 at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on March 4, after collectively pleading guilty to 30 charges of breaching the Housing and Building Acts.
The court heard how the Kirsteins neglected their rental property in Northwood, an apartment block with three flats and a shop on the ground floor.
Hillingdon Council first inspected the property on July 14 2020, following reports of a leaking sewage pipe.
When inspectors attended the building, they found the leaking pipe was causing raw sewage to pool outside the block’s entrance, which had in turn attracted maggots and created a fly infestation inside the building.
Inspecting the inside of the building, the council officers discovered that the heating, lighting and smoke alarms were broken in some parts of the apartment block, some door handles had broken off and some windows could not be opened.
The inspectors also reported seeing mould and that the stairs had no handrails, all of which posed serious health and safety risks to the tenants living there.
The council made two further inspections in November 2020 and March 2021, but found that nothing had been fixed and that the block of flats had deteriorated further.
The court heard that Mr and Mrs Kirstein, 55 and 60 respectively, ignored communications from the council and did not provide any of the documentation they asked for.
Sentencing the pair, District Judge Deborah Wright said they were “in way over their heads” and “had turned a blind eye to their responsibilities” as landlords, partly due to bad financial management.
Condemning the pair’s management of the block of flats, she added: “You had a responsibility not to leave tenants in the property that wasn’t fit for human habitation.”
As part of their fine, the rogue landlords were ordered to pay the council’s court costs, which came to £10,000. The pair must pay the whole fine by April 29.
Hillingdon Council cabinet member for environment, housing and regeneration Eddie Lavery said: “This couple showed scant regard for the welfare of tenants who should quite rightly have an expectation of living somewhere that meets decent standards.
“This property not only fell well below that mark but was riddled with hazards and dangers that could have proved disastrous. This sentencing serves as a warning to any rogue landlords that we’ll take tough measures to ensure homes in our borough are safe and suitable for the tenants.”