A husband and wife couple operating an HMO above a shop in Northwood in the London borough of Hillingdon have been found guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court of "a string of offences" in breach of housing and building laws. The District Judge, when imposing a fine of £17K and ordering the couple to pay the council's costs of £10K, found that the landlords were "way over their heads" and had "turned a blind eye to their responsibilities" . The husband admitted to 13 offences and the wife admitted to 17 offences which resulted in the property failing to meet basic safety requirements and being "littered with hazards.".

Cllr. Eddie Lavery (Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration at Hillingdon Council) said "This couple showed scant regard for the welfare of tenants ... " and "This property ..... was riddled with hazards and dangers that could have proved disastrous." Council officers had tried to engage with the landlords to resolve the hazards prior to the court case but had been ignored by the couple.