A landlord who packed 18 people into an east London property has been fined £33,000.
Shamsul Huda, who lived at the house on Fitzilian Avenue, was fined by Havering Council after he broke two prohibition orders served against him.
The property had been an unlicensed HMO since 2021 when its licence was revoked due to a breach of conditions.
In January 2023, the two prohibition orders were served to limit the number of occupants to a maximum of ten and to address health and safety concerns.
But inspectors later found that 18 people, making up ten households, were living at the property.
They also found that the property had been converted into 11 bedrooms and was in the process of being subdivided into yet more rooms when they visited.
Havering Council then prosecuted Huda for breaching the orders and operating an unlicenced HMO.
A judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court ordered Huda to pay £33,689.79 or spend two years in prison.
Huda previously pleaded guilty for failing to license the property as a HMO at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court.
He was fined £5,000 for three separate offences and made to pay a victim surcharge of £500 and legal costs totalling £14,294.21.
The landlord has a history of Housing Act breaches, according to Havering Council.
Councillor Ray Morgon, leader of Havering Council, said: “All our residents deserve to live in safe accommodation, and we as a council will always aim to do all we can to help make that happen.
"We will continue to crack down on irresponsible landlords taking advantage of families and individuals by providing poorly maintained HMO properties.
"We also won’t tolerate landlords not having the correct licences and breaching said licences, as this case shows, we will take the strongest action possible.”
