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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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Two Southend-on-Sea landlords have paid the price for failing to repair serious hazards in their properties.
Habibur Rahman, of Westcliff-on-Sea, was found guilty of allowing multiple hazards at 173A Fairfax Drive (pictured), including damp and mould, fall risks and fire hazards. He was given a £440 fine and ordered to pay £2,200 costs.
In a separate hearing, Madelaine Murphy, of Leigh-on-Sea, pleaded guilty to similar offences at 119 Leigh Hall Road, where inspectors found damp and mould, excess cold and fire hazards. She was fined £384, ordered to pay £2,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £154.
Tenants had contacted Southend-on-Sea Council after repeated failures by their landlords to carry out essential repairs. Inspections confirmed serious hazards, prompting enforcement action. However, both Rahman and Murphy ignored enforcement notices requiring urgent repairs and were summonsed to Southend Magistrates’ Court.
Councillor Martin Terry, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services (pictured left), says more than a quarter of its residents live in privately rented housing, and their safety is its top priority.
“These prosecutions show the council will take tough action against landlords who break the law,” he says. “Through the dedication and professionalism of our private sector housing team, the standard of privately rented housing across the city continues to improve.”
Terry adds that the cases follow Southend’s landmark achievement last year, when it secured Essex’s first ever banning order against a rogue landlord, highlighting its ongoing commitment to protecting residents from unscrupulous landlords.
The authority banned Ruhul Shamsuddin, a rogue landlord and owner of a high street estate agency, for three years last June. It pursued the order following two successful convictions in 2023 against Shamsuddin and his associated companies, Lordsons Estates, Lordsons Limited, and Conker Property Management.
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