Fraud-convicted landlords fined a total of £7,177 after fire brigade called to unlicensed Uxbridge HMO.
19th Dec 20250 37,439 1 minute read Simon Cairnes
A rogue landlord former couple from West London have been ordered to pay £7,200 after Hillingdon Council took them to court over an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), following repeated fire safety warnings that were ignored and a fire brigade call-out.
The now estranged couple were the legal owners and managers of a three-storey property in Old School Road, Uxbridge, which was being occupied by five unrelated individuals.
Failure to complyIn court, Naveen Seth admitted operating an unlicensed HMO, failing to comply with an improvement notice and breaching housing regulations. At the same hearing, Savita Seth admitted a charge of operating an unlicensed HMO.
The court heard that a tenant had raised concerns with the council about water penetration, damp and electrical issues at the property. An unannounced inspection by council officers had then found it was operating as an HMO without a licence and uncovered a series of serious safety breaches.
These included missing mains-wired smoke detectors, inadequate fire doors, obstructed escape routes and unserviced fire extinguishers, along with dirty conditions and general disrepair.
An improvement notice was subsequently served on the landlords requiring the issues to be resolved by 3 March 2025. However, a follow-up inspection on 10 April found the notice had not been complied with. The court was told that a month after that, the fire brigade was called to the property following a smoking hob, and officers again noted the absence of fire doors that had been required under the notice.
Poorly managed HMOs can have a significant impact not only on tenants, but also on neighbouring residents and the wider community.”
Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, Hillingdon
During sentencing, the court took into account that both defendants had previous convictions for fraud.
Naveen Seth, 57, was fined £657 and ordered to pay a £263 victim surcharge and £5,268 in prosecution costs. Savita Seth, 56, was fined £253 and ordered to pay a £101 surcharge and £585 in costs.
Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, said: “Poorly managed HMOs can have a significant impact not only on tenants, but also on neighbouring residents and the wider community.”
TagsHMO fines rogue landlords 19th Dec 20250 37,439 1 minute read Simon Cairnes Share Facebook X LinkedIn Share via Email
