A landlord in Fulham, London has been fined £20,000 for fire safety breaches in a HMO property that he owned, just two months after he had been ordered to pay back £37,407 in rent.

Rizwan Ahmed was ordered to pay back 12 months of housing benefit after it was found that he did not have a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence for the nine-bedroom, three-storey property that he rented out to tenants on Fulham Road.

Just two months later, Ahmed was back before the Residential Property Tribunal (RPT) – who were tipped off by Hammersmith and Fulham Council – and who accused him of serious fire safety breaches. The Fulham Road property was in described as being ‘appalling’, according to a RPT report.

Ahmed had failed to maintain fire alarms and fire doors and the RPT asserted that fire could have easily spread throughout the entire building, endangering his tenants. This breach of fire safety regulations led to another £20,000 fine for the landlord.

According to Hammersmith and Fulham Council: ‘Ahmed’s tenants were living in very poor conditions, and this should be a warning to all landlords that the council takes HMO licensing and management regulations seriously.’