A rogue landlord has been fined nearly £50,000 after housing officials found 11 people living in a house in Gorton, Manchester - with one of them being forced to wash themselves in a shop bathroom used by the public.
The landlord was served with an improvement notice which required them to make changes to the building in which they failed to do so and were fined £30,000.
They were also fined a further £17,500 for failing to meet the required landlord standards and licence the property as a house of multiple occupation (HMO).
The owners of the property took back control of the building from the landlord due to their concerns of how it was being managed.
The town hall’s findings come as part of the Council’s wider crackdown, which has seen nearly £200,000 handed out in fines since a dedicated rogue landlord team was set up in 2018.
In the last year, 346 properties across the city have been inspected.
It's led to 19 prohibition notices which stop landlords letting a property, and 44 improvement notices served to reduce hazards - including excess cold, fire safety issues, damp and mould, no smoke alarms and electrical hazards.
The town hall has also organised six ‘days of action’ throughout the year during which they work with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue and immigration services.
We will always use every tool at our disposal to tackle the minority of landlords who do not take their responsibility seriously and seem happy to put their tenants at risk.
Unfortunately, these landlords often prey on the most vulnerable people, who are often not in a position to challenge their landlord.
Our message is clear - decent homes are a right that everyone should be able to enjoy. If you put your tenants at risk, we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice and help improve conditions for our residents, and in turn the wider community.
