UK Landlord Fined for Endangering Tenants’ Lives

The court ordered Mr. Bartholomew Akuwudike, a UK landlord, to pay more than £6,000 in charges as he was found guilty in endangering the lives of the tenants. The prosecution was carried out by the Newham Council.
During the court session at Stratford Magistrates’ Court, the landlord, who lives in East Ham, did not deny the charges and admitted that he failed to comply with the current regulations of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s).
The landlord, Mr. Bartholomew Akuwudike, aged 51, was accused of failing to install a handrail to a staircase in a rented apartment and of having no functioning smoke detectors. Although the devices themselves were in place, they were not working properly; the investigators found an “Eveready Gold Seal” battery (unavailable in stores since mid-1980’s) in one of the smoke detectors. Moreover, the shared bathroom in this rented house in multiple occupation was found covered with mould.
The breaches with HMO regulations were discovered in August 2008 by Newham housing officers after one of the tenants sent a complaint to the council’s department of private sector housing complaints.
The total fine that Mr. Akuwudike was ordered to pay amounted to £6,315; the sum consists of 3 fines of £1,100 for each offence, court costs of £3,300, and victims’ surcharge of £15.
Commenting on the case, Mr. Andrew Baikie, Chancellor and executive member for housing at the Newham Council, said the council will continue its work aimed at the prosecution of landlords who fail to comply with regulations designed to protect UK tenants. He added that this particular house, rented out by Mr. Akuwudike, was extremely dangerous to live in as it had no smoke detectors, no handrails to the steep stairs, and mould all over the bathroom.