NEWS
Fines and prosecutions Fake HMO landlord fined for ‘unsafe’ properties
ANDRIUS CIKANAVICIUS, a tenant who pretended to be a landlord, has been prosecuted for turning five family homes into ‘unsafe’ bedsits without a licence or permission. Guardian Series reported on
the case, in which Mr Cikanavicius converted five family homes and rented them out as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), but ‘without a licence or permission’ from the landlord or managing agent. This situation had put the lives
of ‘at least 40 vulnerable residents at risk’, and in pretending to be a landlord he had also allowed for a series of ‘serious breaches of fire safety regulations’. Enforcement officers at Redbridge Council were reportedly horrified to discover
rooms in the properties that ‘could not be opened from the inside without keys – delaying or preventing an escape in the event of a fire’, and in addition, they found no interlinked smoke alarms, fire doors, fire blankets or fire resistant plasterboard on the underside of staircases. Each property was ‘overcrowded and without adequate shared facilities’ including kitchens and bathrooms. Mr Cikanavicius was prosecuted at Barkingside Magistrates Court earlier this year by Redbridge Council, over his failure to ‘comply with licensing conditions’, and he was fined £14,600, including £13,300 for the fire safety breaches, as well as being ordered to pay £7,000 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge.
Farah Hussain, who is cabinet member for housing at Redbridge Council, made the following comments: ‘It’s appalling that
Mr Cikanavicius would put vulnerable people at risk of death, simply for his own profit. This case has exposed a serious abuse of licensing regulations and a man who thought he could charge people hundreds of pounds a month to live in a death trap. ‘We are serious and
determined about improving standards in the private rented sector and we will continue to knock on the door of all suspected HMOs and unlicensed properties to root out rogue operators and ensure they feel the full force of the law.’
Fire risk assessor prosecuted for unsuitable work Magistrates Court saw Mr Thompson plead guilty to ‘failing to provide a suitable and sufficient’ FRA under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and he was fined £750, as well as being ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and a £170 surcharge. The judge summarised by noting that competence ‘is knowing when you yourself aren’t able to do something – and that risk assessors should recognise the limits of their experience and expertise’. SYFRS noted in turn that it
DAVID THOMPSON was prosecuted after ‘failing to provide a suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment (FRA). South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) reported on the prosecution, which was undertaken in relation to an FRA carried out at the Hexagon student accommodation block in Sheffield. Mr Thompson, of Toftwood Health
& Safety Solutions, was prosecuted after Ashgate Property Developments Ltd had been fined £36,000 for ‘three separate offences relating to the same premises’ at an earlier hearing. The prosecution at Sheffield
‘welcomed’ the prosecution of Mr Thompson, adding: ‘This proves
14 DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020
www.frmjournal.com
that there are consequences for failing to comply with safety laws.’ Steve Helps, area manager
at SYFRS, commented: ‘This verdict should serve as a stark warning to building owners that people carrying out fire risk assessments should be competent and able to properly consider all of the risks within buildings, particular where people’s lives could be placed at risk. ‘The sentence in this case proves that people will rightly be held to account if risk assessments are found to be insufficient.’
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
