Exposed electrical wiring, missing ceilings and a fridge freezer in the back garden were just some of the dangerous conditions a family of four have been living in.
Now the house, which was being rented out for £700 per month, cannot be occupied until it is made safe after Newham Council’s private rented sector licensing team issued the landlord with a prohibition notice.
Inspectors found the three-bedroom property, in Manor Park, also had walls stripped back to the brickwork and chimney breasts removed with no supporting steels put in place.
Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “This was truly a house of horrors. It was unsanitary and unsafe.
“The ceilings could have collapsed at any time, the wiring could have sparked a fire, but this landlord saw no problem putting this young couple and their children in grave danger and charging them for it.
“Without our licensing scheme we may not have come across this family and been able to take them out of harm’s way. Now this landlord will pay for his negligence.”
The landlord, who did not have a licence, will now be prosecuted under the Housing Act 2004 for failing to have a licence and for poor management of the property.
If he allows anyone to live in the property before it is declared safe by the council’s building control team he could also face prosecution with an unlimited fine.
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