Bradford landlord fined over fire trap accommodation

Tuesday, 24 April 2018 07:00

A landlord who rented out a bedroom in a house despite being warned that it was a fire hazard has been fined £4,020 by Bradford Magistrates.

Ashfaq Hussain, 59, of Manor Road, Keighley, was found guilty in his absence of 12 offences of breaching housing regulations and failing to comply with Improvement Notices issued by Bradford Council.

Prosecutor Harjit Ryatt said in June 2017 housing officers visited the terraced house in North Street, Keighley, to see if Improvement Notices served previously had been complied with.

The house had been converted into six one-room flats, one of which had no safe means of evacuation if a fire had started in the kitchen.

Mr Ryatt said that Mr Hussain had been told not to rent out that room because of a fire risk.

He said: “If there was a fire in the kitchen the only means of escape from that bedroom was through the kitchen.”

Mr Hussain told officers that he rented out that room because he needed the financial income, said Mr Ryatt.

Other defects in the house had also not been rectified despite the Improvement Notices. The fire alarm system was not working, electrical fittings were outdated, there was a broken window and loose carpets on the stairs presented a trip hazard.

As well as the fine, magistrates also made a costs order of £1,865.

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