A UK landlord has been found guilty of five breaches of the Regulatory Reform Order 2005, after it was discovered that he had let out a property which was unfit and unsafe to occupy.
Mr Andrew Kennedy, 38, received multiple warnings and a prohibition notice from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, urging him not to allow tenants to sleep at his property – after it was found that he had failed to install smoke detectors or fire safety lighting at the Lancashire home.
An inspection of Mr Kennedy’s property revealed tenants living in ‘dangerous conditions’ – in rooms accessible only via loft hatches and ladders.
The property posed “serious and imminent risk to life” in the event of a fire, a Court heard.
Housing officers discovered that multiple tenants had occupied the property since the prohibition notice was first issued on March 5, 2015.
One tenant told a Court that he had viewed a double room advertised on lettings website easyroommate.com.
The tenant was told by Mr Kennedy that the room was taken, and offered an unconverted attic room as an alternative, a Court heard.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service accused Mr Kennedy of “a complete failure to prioritise the safety of potential tenants or to obey a lawful notice.”
A Judge told the Court: “This is a serious case involving a number of failures to comply. The court has the power to impose an immediate prison sentence.”
Mr Kennedy pleaded guilty, and was granted bail to return to Court in July to be sentenced.