Property manager given whopping £480,000 fine for damp HMO
Notorious figure Mohamed Ali Rasool and his firm Blackstone are to jointly pay the fine after council officers found the property was unlicensed and in a very poor state of repair.
A notorious property management firm owner has been handed a jaw-dropping £480,000 fine for renting out a damp HMO with mushrooms growing in many areas of the formerly posh property in central London.
Blackstone Properties Management Ltd and director Mohamed Ali Rasool were found guilty at Westminster Magistrate Court of putting tenants at risk by renting out a 22-bedroom property riddled with fire risks and damp.
Following a complaint from a tenant in 2020, Kensington & Chelsea Council initiated an investigation which found that Rasool had no licence for the HMO in Hyde Park Gate, London (main picture).
The council conducted a dawn raid with the Met Police and London Fire Brigade.”
Despite repeated warnings, he did not apply for a licence and the council conducted a dawn raid with the Met Police and London Fire Brigade in 2021.
Officers found defective and damaged fire doors, inadequate fire separation between bedrooms and protection in the boiler room or lobby, covered fire alarms, and burnt out and loose electrical sockets.
There was rising damp and mould growth and single glazed windows with rotten frames, draughts and broken sashes. Tenants were cooking in their room using camping stoves without proper kitchen facilities while the inside was so damp that mushrooms were growing on the upper floors.
Kensington & Chelsea councillor Cem Kemahli (pictured), lead member for planning and public realm, warns other landlords and agents: “If you are offering poor quality accommodation, we will find you and we will come after you.”
He adds: “Our landlord licensing schemes are seeking out the bad operators to ensure safer homes for everyone and a fairer market for good operators.”
