Wolverhampton council has successfully prosecuted a landlord for breaching HMO housing management regulations.

In September 2021 council officers entered the property with a warrant and found it to be in "intensive occupation"by tenants with separate rooms with locks on the doors, on separate contracts and with shared facilities but the property was no licensed as an HMO.

There were serious fire safety failures at the house.

The council wrote to the landlord the following month inviting him to interview under caution but the letter received no response from the landlord.

A follow up letter was sent in February 2022 to find out whether regulations had been complied with but on visiting the property found that no improvements had been made and even more tenants had been put into the property.

Magistrates issued a £2,700 fine, costs of £1,838 and a victim surcharge of £270.

Cllr. Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for assets and housing, said "I hope this case serves as a stark reminder to private landlords that they must comply with the HMO rules."