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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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Southend-on-Sea City Council has fined two property firms a total of £21,000 for operating an unlicensed HMO with serious safety breaches.
Freeholder Westpoint Property and Griffin Residential - now trading as Emoov - each pleaded guilty to nine offences at Basildon Magistrates Court, including failure to licence an HMO and breaches of HMO management regulations.
Westpoint Property was ordered to pay a total of £14,282, while Griffin Residential was fined £7,394. The amounts include fines and court costs.
The prosecution followed a council inspection in September 2023 at 115 York Road, Southend-on-Sea when officers found the property operating as an unlicensed HMO. Serious failings included inadequate fire detection and firefighting equipment, poorly maintained communal areas, and a significant build-up of waste on the driveway.
Councillor Martin Terry, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services, says poorly managed and unlicensed HMOs are a real cause for concern in the city. “These prosecutions send a clear message: we will take tough action against landlords and property companies who break the law and put residents at risk,” he adds.
“The substantial fines imposed in this case demonstrate the seriousness of the offences and the council’s determination to protect tenants and uphold standards.”
In May, the council announced proposals for a crackdown on HMOs in the city as part of its new local plan which would limit landlords’ future applications. An application would be considered “harmful” if there is a concentration of more than 10% HMOs within 50 metres of a proposed site. It would also prevent any existing homes from being sandwiched between two HMOs, while the committee could refuse an application where it results in a continuous frontage of three or more HMOs. There are already 2,320 HMOs across the city.
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