News / Housing
Rogue landlord banned over ‘shocking’ state of house
The landlord of a home that sparked “serious concerns” for the safety of up to 18 residents living there has been banned from letting properties.
Bristol City Council’s housing team brought a case against Adam Habane, of Dove Street, in March last year after discovering what they described as the “shocking state” of flats owned by him at 24 Lower Ashley Road in St Agnes.
The property was “poorly converted” into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) with up to 18 people living there, including six children.
is needed now More than ever
The council states: “The property was discovered to be in very poor repair and poorly managed, with particular concerns for the safety of the occupants due to the absence of operating fire alarm systems.
“The concern was so great that, as a precautionary measure, the council provided battery operated smoke detectors to the property that day, to protect the tenants while decisions were made of the future of the property.
“Other safety issues remained, and the council later made prohibition orders on the flats in the main building of the property to make it illegal for anyone to live there, due to the very poor and unsafe living conditions.”
Council officers say they found the home in St Agnes in a ‘shocking’ state – photo courtesy of Bristol City Council
The council says Habane has a long history of poor property management and was found guilty in March 2021 of the poor management of the seven flats on Lower Ashley Road. The council went on to apply for a banning order “because of the seriousness of those offences and the potential harm to tenants”.
The landlord has now been prohibited from letting or managing any properties in England and is also banned from acting as an officer of any company that works in this area. His name will now be added to the government’s rogue landlord database.
Commenting on the case, Tom Renhard, Bristol’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Rogue landlords and agents have no place in Bristol and the council will use all its powers available to stop these criminals from operating in Bristol and the rest of the country.
“This was a particularly shocking case, where the landlord showed a blatant disregard for the safety of his tenants. That is why we took the decision to apply for a banning order following the successful conviction earlier this year.
“I would like to thank all the officers in private housing and legal services for their hard work to bring this absentee landlord to account.”
Bristol City Council has urged anyone who has a concern or believes Habane to be involved with their property to get in touch by emailing private.housing@bristol.gov.uk
Main photo courtesy of Bristol City Council
Read more: Rent in Bristol has gone up by more than 50 per cent in under ten years
Listen to the lastest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
