Licensing scheme uncovers 'House of Horrors'

The ‘House of Horrors’ was being let to a family with two small children for £700 a month, with the family living in the property, despite the fact that it had been partitially gutted in order to undergo significant renovation works.

Issues at the property included:

• A bath in the kitchen was the only source of hot water
• Fridge freezer was kept outside, with electrical plugs exposed to the elements
• Missing ceilings exposed live wiring in upstairs bedrooms
• Removed chimney breasts meant there were no supporting beams in place to prevent the ceiling from collapsing

A prohibition notice has been placed upon the property to prevent anyone from setting foot inside until it has been made safe. The landlord now faces prosecution against for the property, for failing to have a landlord license and for poor management.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham praised the licensing scheme which alerted the council to the property.

‘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. And now this landlord will pay for his negligence.’