A landlord of an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) who failed to take proper fire safety precautions has been left with a court bill of more than £5,000. Mohammed Asif Shaffait neglected to install self-closers on seven fire doors in his three-storey property in Erleigh Road, east Reading and broke other HMO rules.
The Council’s Private Sector Housing Team received a report from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service regarding problems with the fire safety measures at the HMO on 18th August 2016.
Officers inspected the property on 25th August and found that there were no self-closers on the fire doors protecting the escape route from the HMO, despite Mr Shaffait having been advised of this on an earlier occasion.
