A landlord and his managing agent have been fined than £20,000 for letting 13 people live in an unlicensed building.

Property owner Saeed Afolabi and his letting agent, Alvin Forbes, must pay £21,168.40 including costs after being prosecuted by Barnet Council at Willesden Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday.

Barnet Council discovered 13 tenants living in the house in Hillside Gardens, Edgware, after complaints about waste storage and anti-social behaviour were made to its community safety team.

Among problems such as concerns about fire safety, an eight-month-old baby was also found living with a couple in a converted loft accessed via a steep, twisting staircase with no handrail or lighting, leading to a low-ceilinged landing.

Barnet Council’s Environmental Health team subsequently issued a Prohibition Order stopping the use of the second-floor room as living accommodation.

If the owner and agent had applied for a HMO licence, the council would have identified the dire living conditions during an inspection and worked with the landlord to improve them.

All properties occupied by five or more people in England are required by law to have a HMO licence.

Cllr Gabriel Rozenberg, chairman of Barnet Council’s housing committee, said: “I’m passionate about defending the rights of our renters and increasing the standard of housing in our private sector.

“We’re keen to work with landlords, but if you don’t comply with the law, you can expect to be punished.”