A husband and wife landlord team who rented out a “grossly overcrowded” east London flat where an e-bike fire led to the death of a tenant have been fined more than £90,000.
Father-of-two Mizanur Rahman, 41, died from the effects of smoke inhalation after the fire in the early hours of March 5 2023 at Maddocks House in Shadwell.
Parents-of-six Sofina Begum, 52, and Aminur Rahman, 55, had previously pleaded guilty to a total of nine housing offences.
Judge Emma Smith, sitting at Snaresbrook Crown Court, previously said she was looking at sentencing the couple, of Wapping, east London, not on the fatality or the fire, but on the housing offences which they pleaded guilty to in November 2023.
On Thursday, Judge Smith ordered Begum to pay a fine of £10,000 and £2,000 in prosecution costs. She was also told to pay a confiscation order of £78,049.
Rahman, who was said to be of “no means”, was ordered to pay a fine of £2,000 and a confiscation order of £1.1p.
The court heard the pair had no source of income other than the value of the Maddocks House property which stood at £155,000.
Sentencing, Judge Smith said: “I am satisfied the two of you were equally involved in the criminality and shared financial gain… You showed a blatant disregard for the law and the occupants.”
The property, which was licenced for three people from two households, is believed to have been occupied by 23 people.
Gemma Gillett, for Tower Hamlets Council, who brought the case, previously told the court: “It is clear that the property was, and had been considerably for some time, grossly overcrowded.
“The information available suggests that some 23 people were in occupation of the flat. One of the occupants was taken to hospital and subsequently died.”
Tenants were told not to use the flat as a postal address as it could get the couple in trouble, the court heard.
Former residents of the flat have said they paid about £90 a week, where some shared beds or slept on the floor of the two-bedroom ex-council flat. There were 18 beds, including bunk beds, at the property.
The blaze was started accidentally by a faulty lithium ion e-bike battery that was charging at the time, the London Fire Brigade have said.
Investigations are still ongoing and a civil matter has already been lodged.
Begum, whose name was on the licence, previously pleaded guilty to six offences including knowingly permitting unlicensed occupation, four counts of failing to comply with licence conditions and failing to comply with the requirements of a licence notice.
Rahman, who collected the rent and was the person responsible for the property, pleaded guilty to one count of each of these three offences.
They failed to allow regular inspections, did not have a current gas certificate and did not produce the documents required of them as the controller or manager of the property.
After the fire, Rahman told a liaison officer that he rented the flat to two people and he did not know who the others were.
But one of the residents told liaison officers that he paid rent to Rahman.
The judge noted that a month after the fire, Begum made an application for an extension of the lost space which did not mention the fire or that the property was uninhabitable, and said she was living at the flat and it was overcrowded.
The judge also noted that this event took place after the charges she was dealing with.
The Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “It is completely unacceptable that some landlords continue to exploit tenants by allowing overcrowding, flouting essential safety regulations, and putting people’s lives at risk.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of Mizanur Rahman, who tragically lost his life in the fire, caused by a faulty e-bike battery, at Maddocks House, and with all those affected by this devastating incident.
“We are clamping down on rogue landlords who operate in our borough. We pursued this prosecution and the court’s decision sends a clear message: we will not tolerate criminal landlords who endanger lives for profit. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure such cases are brought to justice in order to protect our community and we urge all local authorities to do the same.
“National action is urgently needed and we welcome the Government’s announcement that it will set out new measures to help protect renters across the country.”