Landlord fined £6,500 for leasing filthy Croydon home with 'potentially lethal' fire hazards

A landlord has been fined more than £6,500 after she was caught leasing a south London home with “potentially lethal” fire hazards.

Allison Aris, 50, was letting a shared house in Thornton Heath, in Croydon, when inspectors from the council found several smoke detectors had been removed and fire doors tampered with.

They also discovered rubbish strewn across the house and garden and the property littered with mouse droppings.

Four male tenants were staying in the home when it was inspected in October last year.

Pictures released by the council show wires hanging from where smoke alarms should be as well as filthy mattresses, furniture and car parts thrown away in the garden.

Mouse droppings were discovered in the kitchen, in which the cooker was also broken.

Ms Aris, of Melfort Road, in Croydon, was handed a £6,665 fine at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 11, having pleaded guilty to four offences under the Housing Act.

She was also ordered to pay £1,694 in court costs with a victim surcharge of £170.

Croydon councillor Alison Butler, cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning, said: “Most landlords in Croydon make sure the homes they let out are safe, legal and in good condition, but this property was a potentially lethal fire hazard.”

Two of the tenants who were living in the property have since moved out and Ms Aris has since carried out works to improve the home.

She is seeking an agency to manage the home on her behalf, Croydon council said.