A landlord has been ordered to pay almost £35,000 in fines and costs after he failed to license his HMO in Gravesend town centre.

Lalli Sidhu, of Gravesham Let & Management Ltd, was initially fined £17,500 for a number of offences following an investigation into a property in Parrock Street (pictured) by Gravesham Borough Council in August 2024.

Housing officers found that despite not being licensed as an HMO, the property was home to two families and a total of seven people. He had also failed to provide relevant information to the occupiers, along with 14 instances of failing to take required safety measures, and seven of failing to maintain the property. He was fined £16,875.

Failed

However, after Sidhu failed to pay, the authority pursued payment through Dartford County Court which has ordered him to pay a total of £34,375, including court costs.

Councillor Karina O’Malley, cabinet member for housing services, says protecting the interests, health, and safety of tenants in the borough’s private sector is one of its highest priorities. “There are very clear regulations governing HMOs, and where we find landlords flouting those, we will take action against them,” she says.

“These will only be reinforced when the new Renters’ Rights Act comes into force on 1st May, which will give us extra enforcement powers and leave those who flout the law facing increased penalties. We are grateful to the county court for their support in this case and will be recovering the fines owned by the landlord.”

‍