In Barking and Dagenham all private landlords must have a licence issued by the council to rent their properties to tenants and if they don’t, they could face a huge fine as one Dagenham landlord recently found out.

Mr Gurbachan Matharu from Dagenham was found guilty at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday 21 March for failure to licence three properties.

Investigations took place into Mr Matharu’s properties at 4, 4a and 4b Farm Close after they were affected by the devastating fires that took place in Dagenham last year.

The case was heard on Tuesday 21 March at Barkingside Magistrates Court and Mr Matharu was found guilty in his absence for failure to licence a property which requires a property licence under the Housing Act 2004 Section 95 (1).

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “All landlords who operate in Barking and Dagenham must be registered with the council, so we can ensure that they’re providing good living standards for their tenants.

“We’re more than happy for private landlords to have properties in the borough, but they must follow the rules. For those who fail to do so, and rather want to put profit before people, we will investigate and take action if need be.”

The judge has ordered Mr Matharu to pay a fine of £5,000, Costs to Barking and Dagenham Council of £160 and a Victim Surcharge of £500.

If a landlord or a resident would like to find out more about HMOs, they should head to the council website.