Housing charity, Shelter, says slum landlords are getting away with \u201cnothing more than a slap on the wrist\u201d despite having multiple convictions to their name, which means they can continue running their housing businesses as usual. Campaign group, Generation Rent, agrees:<\/p>\n
\u201cCriminal landlords<\/a> are raking in \u00a35bn in rent a year, so the fines are a drop in the ocean. If we can\u2019t hurt slumlords with fines, they won\u2019t be driven out of the market.\u201d<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s Worst Landlord<\/strong> Goremsandu was prosecuted in 2014 for using a sticker to cover up a warning light on a faulty fire alarm; in 2012 she left her tenants<\/a> without heating for prolonged periods of time; and in the same year she let out a damp house for more than a year. Despite her numerous convictions, the landlord claims she is being \u201cvictimised\u201d by the council and that they should have given her more help to deal with the repairs.<\/p>\n Two landlords from the Midlands also feature highly on the list. They were fined \u00a318,000 for renting a flat with a leaking room, no central heating and dangerous electrics.<\/p>\n Housing Convictions Rising<\/strong> Housing charity, Shelter, says slum landlords are getting away with \u201cnothing more than a slap on the wrist\u201d despite having multiple convictions to their name, which means they can continue running their housing businesses as usual. Campaign group, Generation Rent, … Continue reading
\nTo illustrate the problem, a landlord from Haringey, North London, has the dubious distinction of having her name at the top of a list of housing offence convictions. Katia Goremsandu has been convicted seven times for housing offences and fined \u00a316,565. Meanwhile her rental income is estimated at around \u00a3188,000 a year, much of which is paid by the government in the form of Housing Benefit.<\/p>\n
\nHousing convictions have risen from one in 2006 to 428 in 2015, with the majority of convictions taking place in east London.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"