The filthy and dangerous state of a house of multiple occupation being let out by an Oxford residential landlord has resulted in a fine of £2,500.
Joginder Kaur Dhanjal, of Dashwood Road, Rose Hill, pleaded guilty to five charges relating to safety and hygiene at her property which were discovered by Oxford City Council environmental health officers.
Oxford Magistrates' Court heard that the shared kitchen was in a filthy state and that tenants had not had access to the gas supply. A fire door on the room did not close properly and the main fire escape was not properly maintained.
Rising damp was found in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and bathroom tiles could not be cleaned properly.
The court was told that Dhanjal had been on holiday in India at the time of the officers' visit. Part of her defence was that she was not conversant with the responsibilities that came with being a landlord of a multi-occupied house even though her tenants were mainly council referrals.
She claimed she often visited the house to clean but had made an agreement with one of the tenants to clean the property while she was in India with her husband.
Magistrates also heard that Dhanjal had made only £2,862 from renting out the property in the past year.
Dhanjal was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £400 costs and a victim's surcharge of £15.
Following publicity from the court case the Oxford Mail newspaper reported claims from some of the tenants that they had previously given evidence of cockroach infestations to environmental health officers, but that they ignored the insect problem.
In reply a city council spokesman told the paper: “Earlier this year we investigated a report of cockroaches at this address. Our pest control officers laid traps at the property but nothing was found.
“We advised a tenant to contact his landlord in the first instance, but to come back to us if this wasn't successful. We're now contacting the tenant to see how we can help.”
In a separate case, Oxford City Council has evicted two troublesome tenants from Foresters Tower, Wood Farm Road, Headington recently for their continued anti-social behaviour.
Complaints about Reggie Smith, 20, and Stella Moore, 18, included shouting and arguing, a dog being kept in the flat (not permitted in the tower blocks), and soiled nappies being thrown from the flat's balcony.
The tenants were asked to attend interviews at the Council's Horspath Road offices, but failed to attend on three occasions.
The case was passed to the Council's Legal unit who served notice to quit on the tenants. Reggie Smith and Stella Moore both failed to attend court and full possession was granted. The eviction from 71 Foresters Tower, was carried out on 7 October 2008.
