UK landlords face fines after safety breaches and HMO penalty ruling

A landlord in Surrey, Ashraf Talukder, was fined a total of £5,000 by Tandridge District Council after inspectors found serious safety breaches at a flat on High Street, Lingfield. The violations included defective electrical installations, inadequate fire safety measures, windows that could not be opened or lacked restrictors, and the absence of a fully functioning kitchen, as well as the lack of a valid Energy Performance Certificate. The council issued a £3,000 penalty for ignoring an improvement notice and a £2,000 fine for letting the property without a required EPC.

Separately, the Upper Tribunal overturned a £24,500 penalty imposed on Dr. Noshaba Khiljee by Waltham Forest Council. The original penalty was based on the claim that Khiljee received “rack rent” from a property operated as an illegal HMO by the management company We Invest (WIL). The tribunal ruled that Khiljee did not receive the majority of the rent and therefore was not the person having control of the HMO, reversing the earlier decision of the First‑tier Tribunal.