Inspectors who visited a rented house in Nottingham were so disgusted with its rat-infested kitchen they took the landlord to court.
Nottingham City Council officers visited the home on Alfreton Road in January after the owner applied for a licence to make it a house of multiple occupation – or HMO.
The licences are given to houses where a number of different tenants share kitchens and toilets.
But the council says during the assessment officers found it in a “filthy and verminous” state with a rat infestation present.
The authority took the parent firm Nottingham HMO Ltd, of Unit C17, Private Road 2, Colwick Industrial Estate, to Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.
The company is directed by Nazaquat Azam and previously by Yusif McCallum until November 30 2015.
The firm was found guilty of breaching HMO management regulations and the business was fined £19,000. It was also fined £10,000 for failure to respond to a council notice requesting information.
Officers also found the house had no fire detection system and damaged doors and refused the HMO licence application for the house.
Councillor Nicola Heaton, the council’s portfolio holder for community services, said: “Nottingham HMO Ltd completely ignored the advice given to them for their own financial gain, placing their tenants at the risk of harm.
“This is simply ‘profit before safety’ and the landlord has been held accountable for their criminal actions. We will continue to rigorously enforce the law, ensuring that privately rented housing in Nottingham is up to the required standards for citizens, who have the right to live in a decent and safe home.
“We welcome this conviction and hope that it sends a message out to private landlords who may think about cutting corners on the standard of accommodation.”
