Hazardous HMO told to improve or close
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ANOTHER Skegness Landlord has been issued with a Prohibition Order for putting his tenants at risk, despite telling East Lindsey District Council that the property he was operating had closed down.
Charles Williamson who runs a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) at 6 Castleton Boulevard, was issued with the legal order under the Housing Act 2004 after an inspection by East Lindsey District Council confirmed that the property was still operating as a HMO. The inspection identified 11 hazards at the address, eight of which are classified as Category One hazards, the most serious.
Previously the Landlord had told the Council that all tenants were leaving and rooms would remain vacant but this wasn’t the case.
Hazards included a lack of suitable fire detection, poor heating and concerns over the safety of electrics.
Craig Roberts from the Council’s Housing Standards Team, explained: “Despite assurance from the Landlord that the property would be emptied and would remain empty, he has failed to do so and he continues to fail in his duty of care toward his tenants.
“The Council had to serve a Notice of Entry to gain access to the property, because the owner repeatedly prevented inspections to allow us to ensure it was in a safe condition and complied with the relevant standards. Running HMOs in this way is not acceptable and will not be tolerated because it could be putting people’s lives at risk.”
The owner of the property now has 28 days to comply with the Order or face prosecution for operating a HMO in breach of a Prohibition Order.
