September 26, 2017 3.42 pm This story is over 77 months old

Lincoln landlord fined over £8k for endangering tenants

He was fined over £8,000.

A Lincoln businessman was yesterday found guilty of a string offences relating to the safety of his tenants.

Abdol Ali Javid Keshmiri of Wragby Road appeared in court to answer charges regarding a property in Ely Street, Lincoln.

He was found guilty of all 11 charges and fined a total of £8,253.38 including costs.

Inspectors said the flats were both ‘shocking’ and ‘dangerous’

City of Lincoln Council were first made aware of problems at the property when complaints were made about the possibility of the house being overcrowded.

On further inspection, officers discovered that the house had been converted into two flats with no regard to building controls or planning permission.

This was the first of many issues found at the property including:

  • Leaving no safe means of escape from the flats in the event of a fire
  • No smoke detection at either of the two flats
  • Broken and exposed electrical fittings throughout the properties

Keshmiri had also installed a full kitchen in the landing area between the two floors, further obstructing any means of escaping in the event of a fire.

David King, Enforcement Officer said: “The conditions at 11 Ely Street were shocking and dangerous, and showed that the landlord had little or no regard for his tenants’ safety.

“We found that there were six people living in one flat, and five living in the other, all in pretty squalid conditions.

“The partition door that was used to separate the flats was simply bolted together, and offered no real fire protection for either property.”

On sentencing, magistrates said: “The court has a job to do, and that job is to protect the vulnerable from rogue landlords such as Mr Keshmiri.

“The safety breaches were unacceptable and Mr Keshmiri had obstructed and frustrated the council’s investigations by failing to provide the documents and information requested.”