House of Horrors landlord banned

Friday March 26, 2010

A rogue Fulham landlord, who forced his tenants to live in squalor, has had his bid to overturn an order prohibiting him from renting out the property dismissed.

At least five people rented space from Rizwan Ahmed at 796 Fulham Road. But when council officers inspected the property in December 2009, they were appalled with what they saw.

The ground floor rear room was little more than a concrete cell. There was no floor covering, just a bed, fridge and sink. Ahmed claimed that the room was unoccupied by the inspection revealed that there was fresh food in the fridge, clothing and other personal items in the room.

Officers noticed that some re-plastering work had taken place in an upstairs room but were horrified to see that the occupant’s possessions were splattered in plaster.

When officers continued walking around the house of horrors they came a bathroom without heating or hot water and it was impossible to tell if the gas boiler was working.

The shower was situated in little more than a cupboard with no light and dangerous electrics within reach; a sink had been installed with no hot water.

As a result of these findings, Rizwan was banned from renting out the property. He made a number of superficial improvements and appealed the council’s decision at a residential property tribunal, claiming that more remedial work could be done while the tenants were in situ.

The appeal was dismissed on Monday March 22 when the tribunal adjudicated that the only way to get the property up to standard where it is habitable and safe was to keep the prohibition order in place.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment said: “Ahmed forced his tenants to live in squalid conditions, stripping them of their dignity. I am delighted that his appeal has been dismissed. The council will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that tenants rights are upheld and landlords ensure that their properties are fit to live in.”