A rogue landlord and his property management company have again been successfully prosecuted after unsafe conditions were discovered at an unlicensed HMO in London.

Mohammed Rasool was named by The Guardian as “one of the capital’s worst landlords” and described by a judge in 2022 as “a thoroughly dishonest individual” He and his firm Blackstone Properties Management Ltd, are to jointly pay fines and court costs totalling £63,000 after Kensington and Chelsea council took him to court after failings at 36 Hyde Park Gate (main image).

Shocking conditions at the 22-room HMO, which is within one of the most upmarket areas of central London, were first reported by a tenant in 2020 and council officers visited the property in 2021 finding it to have been operated without an HMO licence.

Tenants were living in the property with serious fire, health and safety risks including damaged fire doors, inadequate fire separation between bedrooms and lack of fire safety protection in the boiler room or lobby, covered fire alarms and burnt out and loose electrical sockets.

They were given opportunities to put things right, but the court found they chose not to.”

“Mr Rasool and Blackstone Properties Management Limited were given opportunities to put things right, but the court found they chose not to,” says Councillor Johnny Thalassites, the council’s lead member for resident services, planning and enforcement.

“We will continue to take action where landlords fail to follow the rules, because everyone in Kensington and Chelsea deserves a safe place to live.”

The property has history – an initial prosecution three years ago over failings at the address which saw Rasool and his company fined £500,000 was challenged and a retrial took place a few weeks ago.

Blackstone Properties Management Limited, which Rasool is still a director of, is more than two years behind in its company paperwork, latest Companies House records show.