A London lettings agency has been fined £66,500 after council officers were called to a ‘dirty’ HMO.

The company involved is AM PM Estates, which features positive reviews of its HMO management skills on the firm’s website and is based in offices above shop in Tottenham, North London,

The house it was managing in Bath Road, Slough (main image), was visited by representatives from the local council during June 2023 following complaints about the property. They found it to be dirty featuring a sock covering a smoke alarm in the kitchen, bicycles blocking fire escape routes and a front door lock that was ‘repeatedly broken’.

After AM PM Estates was contacted, the agency said it was making regular inspection calls and responding to disrepair reports, but subsequent visits by officers found no improvement other than a fixed front door lock and reset fire alarm.

Slough council then reported the firm for ten offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 including for “failing to keep means of escape from fire clear from obstructions”.

A year ago AM PM Estates was issued with a civil penalty of £77,925 but this was reduced on appeal to £66,550 this month. All necessary repairs to the property have now been completed but AM PM Estates is no longer managing the HMO.

Unsafe conditions

Councillor Ejaz Ahmed, lead member for Communities, Sport, Leisure and Public Protection, said: “During the investigation, this company was given numerous opportunities to take steps to bring the property back into compliance with the management regulations, but failed to do so.

“They failed to provide the service they were legally responsible for, leaving tenants living in poor and unsafe conditions. They now must pay a hefty penalty, which I hope will teach them a lesson and ensure they fulfil the service landlords pay them to do in future.”