A firm that suffered significant management failures and allowed appalling conditions at two of its HMO properties has been twice prosecuted by a city council.
Premier Properties in Bradford has been rapped by Liverpool City Council over the state of two homes the Yorkshire company owns there.
In respect of one house, the landlord was prosecuted for eight offences under the HMO Management Regulations and for appalling and dangerous conditions found at the property.
The company was fined £1,000 for each offence and ordered to pay costs of £1,480 to the council.
Additionally two directors of the company, Rizwan Malik and Usman Haroon Malik, were each fined £500 for each offence and both ordered to pay costs to the council of £1,300.
The property was a poorly converted HMO above a shop housing vulnerable Eastern European tenants who spoke little English.
It was rat infested, the fire alarm system was not working and the landlord’s contact details were not displayed.
The staircase was poorly maintained and plasterwork throughout was damaged and daubed with graffiti.
Kitchen and bathroom fittings were badly damaged and windows were in disrepair.
There were also numerous electrical defects and electrical certification was not provided.
Gas certification was provided late and work on the system was not undertaken by a registered engineer.
The landlord faced six offences for the second property.
The company was fined £1,500 for each offence and was ordered to pay costs of £1,200 to the council.
Rizwan and Usman Haroon Malik were each fined £750 for each offence and were each ordered to pay costs to the council of £1,200.
The property was in similar disrepair to the first, with no fire alarm system, significant electrical defects throughout and no electrical certification.
Windows were cracked and some had been nailed closed. There were water supply problems and significant hazards were found.
Taken together, the offences in respect of both properties cost the landlord (company and directors) a total of almost £42,000.
A spokesman for LACORS said the cases highlight the tough stance Liverpool City is taking against landlords who flout the law and fail to manage or maintain their properties, and put tenants’ lives at risk.
