Worldlife
25-02-2006, 11:05 AM
A Norwich landlord who owns almost 90 multi-occupied properties across the city has been fined for 'appalling' safety offences potentially endangering tenants' lives.
Morteza Saffar , of Violet Road, Norwich, was fined £10,250 and ordered to pay £3,000 towards Norwich City Council's costs.
Mr Saffar, who runds his business from St. Augustine's Street, rents many of his properties to foreign workers. He pleaded guilty to eight offences relating to a six-bedroom, three storey HMO in Magdalen Road.
Norwich magistrates heard that the fire detectors in the property had been blocked with tapes, seals on fire doors were broken and fire extinguishers had not been serviced.
Bench chair Mike Welham told Mr Saffar. 'You have owned this property for 10 years and there was a total lack of fire safety procedures. You own around 47 properties yet it appears to us that you do not know about property law'
In addition to the fire offences, the Madgalen Road property had worn and loose floorboards, no hot water in the bathroom and damage flooring around the bath.
Council housing director Hereward Cooke subsequently announced an investigation into Mr Saffar's property portfolio, after it emerged that he had illegally converted six small two-storey houses into flats without first gaining planning permission.
Council officers discovered that the badly converted flats lacked fire precautions or insulation. Some of the tenants, who have now been evicted from their homes, paid £500 a week, earning Mr Saffar more than £70,000 a year in rents. The city council is insisting that the houses be turned back into single house.
The flats had been rented by Mr Saffar to workers from Poland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and South Africa.
From Safety offences spark landlord investigation Environmental Health News - Legal Vol 21 No 8 24 February 2006
The £500 a week rental seems high for workers flats. Wonder if the landlord was relying on the tenant sub-letting to others and causing potential overcrowding problems.
Morteza Saffar , of Violet Road, Norwich, was fined £10,250 and ordered to pay £3,000 towards Norwich City Council's costs.
Mr Saffar, who runds his business from St. Augustine's Street, rents many of his properties to foreign workers. He pleaded guilty to eight offences relating to a six-bedroom, three storey HMO in Magdalen Road.
Norwich magistrates heard that the fire detectors in the property had been blocked with tapes, seals on fire doors were broken and fire extinguishers had not been serviced.
Bench chair Mike Welham told Mr Saffar. 'You have owned this property for 10 years and there was a total lack of fire safety procedures. You own around 47 properties yet it appears to us that you do not know about property law'
In addition to the fire offences, the Madgalen Road property had worn and loose floorboards, no hot water in the bathroom and damage flooring around the bath.
Council housing director Hereward Cooke subsequently announced an investigation into Mr Saffar's property portfolio, after it emerged that he had illegally converted six small two-storey houses into flats without first gaining planning permission.
Council officers discovered that the badly converted flats lacked fire precautions or insulation. Some of the tenants, who have now been evicted from their homes, paid £500 a week, earning Mr Saffar more than £70,000 a year in rents. The city council is insisting that the houses be turned back into single house.
The flats had been rented by Mr Saffar to workers from Poland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and South Africa.
From Safety offences spark landlord investigation Environmental Health News - Legal Vol 21 No 8 24 February 2006
The £500 a week rental seems high for workers flats. Wonder if the landlord was relying on the tenant sub-letting to others and causing potential overcrowding problems.