A BLACKBIRD LEYS landlord was ordered to pay more than £18,000 after admitting 12 charges relating to mismanaging a home shared by several tenants.

Ashraf Suleiman Salim El-Hosny, 31, of Peregrine Road, pleaded guilty to the charges at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 22.

Oxford City Council brought the prosecution after its environmental health officers discovered he was renting out a House in Multiple Occupation in Peregrine Road that was unlicensed, in a state of disrepair and failing to comply with legal requirements.

An HMO is defined as a property rented by at least three people who are not from one “household”, such as a family, but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen.

Environmental health officers from the council’s HMO enforcement team visited the house in November after getting complaints that it was unlicensed.

Officers said they found overcrowded living conditions, no working fire detection, obstructed fire escapes, accumulations of waste and unsafe electrics such as a broken plug socket and light fitting.

El-Hosny pleaded guilty to being in control of an unlicensed HMO and received a fine of £5,000 for failing to obtain a licence.

He also pleaded guilty to 10 breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and received a fine of £1,000 for each breach.

He was also fined £1,000 after admitting failing to comply with a notice served under the Housing Act 2004.

Magistrates finally ordered El-Hosny to pay the council’s full costs of £1,940 for bringing the case to court and a £120 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £18,160.

Deputy council leader Ed Turner said he was pleased this landlord had been brought to justice, and warned it could have easily ended in “tragedy”. He said: “Offences like this committed by landlords are extremely serious.”