Landlord pays VERY heavy price for ignoring licensing scheme

A rogue landlord has been handed a whopping £33,698 fine for ignoring orders to license his HMO.

Shamsul Huda, who also lived at the house on Fitzilian Avenue, Romford (main image), was prosecuted by Havering Council for breaching two prohibition orders which it served against him.

The London borough took Huda to court under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) where the judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court ordered him to pay the huge fine or spend two years in jail..

Huda had previously pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrates Court in May 2024 for failing to license his property as an HMO. He was fined £5,000 for three separate offences, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £500, and legal costs totalling £14,294. He also faces a London Fire Brigade Enforcement Notice issued this year over fire safety measures at the address.

Historic breaches

The landlord has a long history of Housing Act breaches, according to the council; previous enforcement actions by its private sector housing team against him include civil penalties as well as a criminal prosecution in 2022 for failing to comply with HMO management regulations.

Council leader Ray Morgon (pictured) says all residents deserve to live in safe accommodation and that the council will do all it 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,” he adds.

“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.”