A landlord of a Slough house in multiple occupation (HMO) who was prosecuted for not having a licence had his appeal against the conviction dismissed.
Nasir Mehmood was convicted of failing to have a licence and supplying false information to the Slough council back in June after the property he was a landlord of was found to have at least six people living there, no fire doors and an extra kitchen squashed in under the stairs.
One of his Slough tenants, Mohammed Akhter, was also convicted of providing false information after he claimed he and his family were the only tenants of the property.
The appeal by both men was heard at Reading Crown Court on Friday 20 August. The appeal was dismissed when they failed to appear in court.
Full costs of £1,946 were awarded to the council.
Keith Ford, Slough Borough Council’s housing standards manager, said: “We are determined to improve houses in multiple occupation in Slough and are willing to prosecute landlords who flout the law and put their tenants at risk.
“As this appeal shows, we are also willing to follow cases right through to the end so tenants in Slough can know they are staying in well managed properties which do not put them in danger.”
Councillor James Swindlehurst, commissioner for neighbourhoods, said: “The work the council is doing to inspect HMOs and enforce breaches of the rules is an important step towards improving the quality of housing in Slough.
“We are determined to tackle the minority of landlords who flout the rules, not only endangering tenants but causing a nuisance to other residents.
“Despite a cut in government funding for this vital work in Slough, the council remains committed to inspecting and enforcing HMOs and Slough sheds to improve the housing stock, while rooting out landlords who do not play by the rules.”
Slough Borough Council
