Two brothers on the Harrow border have been fined £20,000 and added to the rogue landlord database after failing to licence their property in Kenton.
Officers from Brent Council found 15 people living in a seven-bedroom house on Ilmington Road following a complaint from a neighbour. The tenants, described as young students, were sharing rooms with two to three people sleeping on mattresses.
An inspection by Brent’s Private Housing enforcement team in July 2023 revealed that fire safety doors were missing and smoke alarms had been covered up. Despite living locally, the landlords had ignored repeated notices from the council to apply for a Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence.
Willesden Magistrates Court heard that the brothers were given “a significant amount of time and opportunities” to comply with the law. Vimal and Ravi Kanji Bhudia pleaded guilty to failing to licence the property and breaching housing regulations.
Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Housing and Residents Services, said: “Vimal and Ravi Kanji Bhudia acted as if they were above the law and have paid a heavy price for it.
“Every landlord in Brent is legally required to have a licence. The law exists to protect tenants from rogue landlords who overcrowd their homes and ignore fire safety regulations while pocketing their tenants’ money. Every Brent resident has the right to live in a safe and secure home.”
Borough-wide licensing became law in 2020, requiring all landlords renting out HMO properties in Brent, except Wembley Park, to obtain a licence, however the five year programme ended in January during which 2,500 were licensed.
Landlords in Brent can avoid fines of up to £30,000 by getting licensed at www.brent.gov.uk/getlicensed.
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