A student landlord has been fined over the state of a deathtrap house in Selly Oak. The property in Tiverton Road failed a string of fire-related safety checks after council officials were tipped off by a worried undergraduate living at the address.
Birmingham City Council said landlord Amit Sharma risked the lives of his tenants by flouting the rules and repeatedly ignoring demands for improvements.
The authority spoke out after the 34-year-old was fined £2,795 with £1,520 costs having admitted failing to obtain a house of multiple occupancy licence and breaching HMO management regulations. Sharma, who was fined at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, was fined after one of his tenants turned to the council for help last October.
Despite written requests, many of the issues were not resolved and officers decided to prosecute. Among the list of defects found were:
* Failure to provide a fire door or fire-resistant construction under the stairs on the ground floor.
* Storing combustible materials in the escape route under the stairs.
* No self-closing device to the fire door on the ground floor front bedroom.
* Insecure and defective treads on the staircase.
