London borough secures its largest ever financial penalty after prosecuting landlord for licensing breaches

Two rogue landlords prosecuted by the London Borough of Brent must pay more than £75,000 in fines and costs.

In separate cases this month, Hugo Pulqueiro was ordered to pay a £60,170 fine and £6,000 in costs after being found guilty of licensing breaches.

The council said this was the largest financial penalty it had secured to date in such a case.

In the other case, Hassan Elaadouli was ordered to pay £8,000 and £2,000 in costs after ignoring two civil penalty notices.

The council said Pulqueiro “sent in the heavies to remove the belongings of one of his tenants and change the locks to kick her out after she complained of the deteriorating conditions inside the overcrowded flat she was sharing with six other tenants”.

Council enforcement officers raided the property and found a partition wall down the middle of two single rooms to create two illegal ‘micro’ rooms.

Pulqueiro failed to give his tenants written agreements, sent different strangers to collect their rent in cash at irregular times and failed to both meet fire safety regulations and maintain the property to a liveable standard, the council said.

Eleanor Southwood, cabinet member for housing and welfare reform at Brent, said: "This is an absolutely shocking case and it's appalling that Mr Pulqueiro believed he could get away with such gross mistreatment of his tenants. No renter in Brent should be forced to endure what these tenants went through.”

Elaadouli meanwhile ignored two civil penalty notices, totalling £7,500, which were issued for failing to license two flats he owned in an area where selective licensing applies.

An enforcement officer found a family living in a structurally unsafe flat, with the front right corner of the building falling away, the rear extension falling away from the main building, a leaking corrugated iron roof, exposed wires and not enough power sockets.

Mark Smulian