A landlord and her letting agency have together been fined more than �45,000 for illegally running an HMO.

Barking and Dagenham Council's private sector housing team first discovered that professional landlord Husna Patel had not applied for, or been granted, permission to convert her three-bedroom property into an HMO in December 2018.

The landlord ignored letters about planning regulation requirements and an enforcement notice was served in April 2019 requiring her to stop using the HMO within six months.

However, a council inspection in January 2020 discovered that it was still being occupied by two unrelated families who shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.

It established that the property was managed by Woodland Property Management Ltd, which has a branch on Cranbrook Road, also in Ilford.

Patel, of Cavendish Gardens, Ilford - who operates at least five BTL properties in and around Ilford through a limited company - and Woodland Property Management admitted the offences at Barkingside Magistrates Court.

Proceeds of crime

They were both sentenced at Snaresbrook County Court where Patel was ordered to pay a �5,000 fine, costs of �1,542 and �27,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Woodland Property Management was ordered to pay a fine of �7,500, costs of �1,542 and �3,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Councillor Syed Ghani (pictured), cabinet member of enforcement and community safety, says: 'This particular landlord and property management company completely ignored requests from our officers. They're now paying the price with a huge fine.'�

Raid

Meanwhile, housing officers carried out an early morning raid on an illegal HMO in Cleethorpes after a tip-off about suspected modern day slavery.

North East Lincolnshire Council officers joined police and the fire service to carry out safety inspections and interview the six tenants.

They found that the HMO lacked fire safety measures, had no heating, no kitchen and poor electrics. It is now the subject of a prohibition order.