Landlord fined £87,000 for putting tenants in 'serious danger'
A private landlord has been prosecuted by Bristol City Council for providing private rented accommodation that posed a "serious risk to life".
Nine people were found living in cramped conditions in a small flat rented out by rogue landlord Deepak Singh Sachdeva on Avonmouth Road in Bristol, BS11, with two children forced to sleep in cupboards.
Bristol City Council said the accommodation was of "poor structural condition and design", adding there was "very poor" fire resistant separation between the flat and shop located below.
Council inspectors also found large gaps around fire doors, offering no protection from potential fire or smoke hazards, and no working fire detection.
The landlord failed to make an appearance at Bristol Magistrates' Court, but he was found guilty in his absence of five counts of failing to comply with regulations in respect of managing multiple occupants.
Cllr Paul Smith, Bristol City Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "These were some of the worst conditions environmental health officers working in this field have seen.
"The property had been so badly built and managed that the tenants were constantly in serious danger."
Smith added: "This case is a prime example of a rogue landlord who has put the safety and welfare of tenants at risk and has been rightly convicted and fined for this.
"We are committed to investigating substandard accommodation and bringing landlords or agents that profit illegally from it to justice."
Deepak Singh Sachdeva
What a surprise, one of them funny names yet again.
Yep almost as though all the funny named LL are the ones causing all the problems!?
So would it be worthwhile targeting areas where those with funny names tend to operate to improve standards in the PRS.
Or would the usual suspects say that is being racist despite the roguery being carried out by these funny named LL!!
PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend
I've been saying this all along, and people are so afraid to mention the ' funny name ' ( even that illustrates it ) for fear of being called Racist.
Its Not racist, its fact.
The reason behind this ( not all 'funny named people, I accept ) is that Living conditions in other countries [ where they have, 'funny names' ) are totally different to the UK
The result is that both Property owners - landlords from those places don't believe there's anything wrong on what their doing, and neither do the Tenants they crown into them as that's only how they would have been living abroad, and probably far worse.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a reason why UK should drop their standard, - just explaining the situation and putting it into context.
The whole reason the UK has better standards is because they are NOT these other countries.
If you operate in the UK then you conform to UK conditions.
That is why so many want to live in the UK.
Better circumstances than other countries.
The problems occur when other non-traditional British cultures bring their cultures with them and consider it acceptable.
Clearly it ISN'T as that is the whole point of being in the UK.
We have far superior better standards.
The funny named brigade should start adopting the conditions of the UK.
They are bringing disrepute to a sector where very few British sounding named LL are ever convicted.
That tells you everything!
Spot on Paul.
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