A Camden letting agent and its sole director (who had recently been subject to an ASB injunction and a banning order) along with the landlord and owner of an unlicensed HMO operated by the agent have been fined £80,000 and £40,000 respectively and ordered to pay joint costs of £15,000. Both also had to pay victim surcharges of £181 and £190 respectively.

The council's HMO enforcement team visited the property following a complaint from previous tenants in 2020 and found the property to be overcrowded, in poor condition throughout and had significant fire safety hazards including no working fire alarms or fire doors at all.

The letting agent had been previously prosecuted along with a different company that he owned and he is now banned from operating a private rented property in England for 5 years.

Cllr. Meric Apak said "The legal action taken in this case was a necessary last resort. Our message to landlords and letting agents is that we are here to work with you; to provide advice and assistance first of all and to ensure you can meet your obligations."