A Cardiff landlady has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 for failing to comply with the licensing conditions at an HMO where there were "rotting" kitchen surfaces, leaking gutters, an a defective fire alarm system. Nayer Javed was ordered to pay a total of just over £3,000 after failing to complete safety works on the property.
The rented property on 50, Ninian Road, was made up of eight bedsits with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and was found to have a number of faults by council officers. During a sentencing at Cardiff Magistrates Court on April 21, the court heard that Mrs Javed, of Penylan Place, licensed the property in 2019.
She was told that the property needed a new upgraded fire alarm system, new fire doors for the bedrooms and adequate fire protection around the electricity meters had to be installed to ensure the property was safe and compliant with the legislation. But an inspection by council officers in December 2021 revealed that the works hadn't been completed and there were other issues with the property.
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Council officers found broken and leaking gutters, a rotting kitchen work surface, and unsafe electrical installations at the property. The fire alarm system was also defective, with damaged fire doors, fire extinguishers that hadn't been serviced for over a year and flammable materials obstructing the escape route.
The management company, Umbrellas Homes Ltd and the sole director, Farshid Mansouri, from Woodville Road also pleaded guilty to several separate offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Wales) Regulations. Both Umbrella Homes Ltd. and Mr Mansouri were also ordered to pay just under £2,500 each at the sentencing hearing on April 20.
Mrs Javed was ordered to pay fines on three different counts of failing to comply with licensing conditions, including a £1,000, a £665 fine, and a £165 fine. She also paid £1,000 for the cost of prosecution and a victim surcharge of £183. Both Umbrella Home and the director Mr Farshid Mansouriwere fined £1,080, ordered to pay £1,250 and a victim surcharge of £108 each.
Councillor Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Communities at Cardiff Council said: "The majority of private sector landlords provide a very good service for their residents, but unfortunately there is a minority that do not.
"When we take these matters to court, we do this to benefit the residents living at these properties, so that the faults identified are fixed and the properties are safe to live." The council has confirmed that the Improvement Notice that was issued on this property has now been complied with.
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