A Redbridge landlord and managing agent were ordered to pay more than £90,000 after a council investigation uncovered a drug grow and unsafe living conditions.
The local council found that a five-bed house in Wanstead had been used to grow drugs and had been siphoning electricity from the National Grid.
The Metropolitan Police later investigated the address, which led to a person being arrested.
Chad Miah, who owned the property, and All Season Lettings and Management were ordered to pay £91,068 in fines, costs and confiscation orders after being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
When Redbridge housing officers first visited the home, they found it empty and in serious disrepair. The managing agent was told that repairs would be needed before it could be leased again.
However, officers discovered ten unrelated men living there upon a return visit along with myriad safety issues, including five “serious hazards”.
The council then issued a prohibition order banning anyone from living in the house until the safety issues had been fixed. Despite this, the pair continued leasing the property for more than a year.
They were eventually hauled before Snaresbrook Crown Court, where they ordered to pay the five-figure penalty.
Councillor Saima Ahmed, the cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “This case sends a very clear message: we will not tolerate landlords who put our residents at risk or try to profit from unsafe and illegal practices.
“Our zero tolerance approach means we’ll take action every time and we will always use the strongest powers available to make sure no‑one gains from exploiting tenants.
“We’re committed to working with responsible landlords who do the right thing, but those who choose to ignore the law will face firm and decisive enforcement. Our priority is, and always will be, protecting the safety and wellbeing of our residents.”
The council’s “zero tolerance approach” to tackling rogue landlords is a policy of former leader Jas Athwal.
In 2024, Athwal was exposed by the BBC for leasing ant-infested and mouldy flats in the borough. He apologised after saying he promptly fired his managing agent.
