Tenants who were forced to move out due to an “unbearable” rat infestation have won back more than £17,000 from their landlord.
A First Tier Property Tribunal heard that Abdufuad Akanni Onigbanjo failed to properly deal with the rodents - along with serious damp and mould - at the unlicensed HMO in Urswick Road, Hackney.
The tenants reported that rats made noise in the walls and ceiling and chewed through the extractor fans, exacerbating the damp problem. Although traps were set by the landlord’s handyman, it only led to dead rats in the walls and cupboard.
Despite their efforts to keep the bathroom door open and maintain good ventilation, the damp and mould remained as Onigbanjo’s response was simply to paint over it.
There were no working smoke and fire alarms in the kitchen and first-floor hallway, as well as a lack of fire doors to the bedrooms and no gas and electrical safety certificates. The tenants added that Onigbanjo made unannounced visits and instructed workmen to attend without notifying them.
They decided not to renew the tenancy in July 2022 because the rat infestation had become unbearable.
The judge ruled that the HMO’s poor conditions posed a real risk to the tenants’ health while the lack of fire safety provisions and failure to provide gas and electricity safety certificates indicated a disregard for their safety.
He added: “The tribunal also finds that the landlord was a professional landlord with a property portfolio. The evidence suggests that the failure to licence the property was protracted and that the landlord had been aware of the local authority’s concerns with the property since at least 2019.”
Onigbanjo failed to engage with the tribunal and was handed a £17,468 rent repayment order, which was 80% of the total claimed.
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