A LANDLORD who put tenants in danger by failing to provide adequate fire precautions has been left to pay almost £4,000 following successful prosecution according to Reading Chronicle.
Samuel Odueken admitted to a total of four safety breaches for the shared home in West Reading which he managed as a house of multiple occupancy. The charges were brought against the 53-year-old after Reading Borough Council inspectors found he had failed to install proper protection including fire doors and working smoke detectors.
The team from the council’s environmental health department spotted the issues on a visit to the home in Kensington Road on March 24.
Odueken was later charged with four counts in respect of the management of a house of multiple occupation.
The officers found there were no fire doors to the escape route out of the property, the smoke detectors were defective, there was no heat detector in the kitchen and there was no emergency lighting to the escape route out of the building.
Councillor Richard Davies, lead councillor for housing, said: “The council takes the safety of people renting in the private sector very seriously.
“It is essential that properties have adequate fire protection and Houses in Multiple Occupation could potentially become death traps without the necessary fire safety provision.
“I’d like to congratulate officers for securing a successful prosecution in this case and hope it acts as a stark reminder to all property landlords of their responsibilities when it comes to the safety of their tenants.”
Odueken, of Ambrook Road, Whitley, admitted to the charges and was sentenced at Reading Magistrates’ Court on December 11.
He was fined £350 for each of the four counts and ordered to pay £2,166.97 costs, £150 criminal court charge and £120 victim surcharge.
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