Rogue landlord ordered to pay £9k for ‘potentially lethal’ flat
By Tara O’Connor, local democracy reporter
A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 for letting out a former bank vault as an illegal and dangerous flat in Sanderstead.
Croydon Council inspectors discovered that a converted vault of a former Barclays bank had no fire escape route and no windows in the living room, meaning there was a lack of natural light and no natural ventilation.
The council was first called to the unsafe basement flat in February 2019 when concerns were raised about unsafe outdoor stairs with missing steps.
The Station Parade flat was deemed unfit to live in but despite this, Anthony Roy Roe, 54, of Lower Armour Road in Tilehurst, Berkshire, continued to rent it out after an appeal in August 2019 was dismissed.
The woman was found temporary accomodation and eventually moved into a private rented place of her own.
At Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday, January 15, Mr Roe was convicted of both breaking the prohibition order and failure to license the property via the landlord licensing scheme.
He was ordered to pay a £2,640 fine for breaking the prohibition order, the council’s full costs of £6,624, and a £170 victim surcharge.
Mr Roe will be added to the Mayor of London’s rogue landlord database.
Councillor Jane Avis, Croydon Council’s cabinet member for homes and Gateway services, said: “This flat wasn’t just an unsuitable place to live; it was an illegal and potentially lethal firetrap, so I’m glad the tenant flagged her concerns to us.
“We set up our selective licensing scheme in Croydon so private tenants could have safe and good-quality homes, and this prosecution underlines why we’ve asked the government for permission to renew it.
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