A LANDLORD has been told to pay more than £6,000 over conditions in rented house which had a plug socket in the shower and no electrical earthing.

Itlaf Hussain was hit with the £6,758 over conditions in a terraced home he rented out in Oakridge Road, Desborough, High Wycombe.

Wycombe District Council inspectors found the property in a ‘very bad state’ and in need of ‘urgent emergency remedial electrical work’ to make it safe.

Yet safety laws were not fully complied with despite ‘numerous’ checks over several months, the authority said. It finally took him to court.

They found:

• The soil pipe of the toilet had a hole in it, which was bound in gaffer tape. It was not properly connected to the drainage system and was leaking.

• 24 separate electrical defects including a 13 amp power point in the shower cubicle, no electrical earth for the property and bare live wires sticking out of an outside wall.

• A propped up garden shed was in danger of collapse and floorboards with 15cm rusty nail protruding were stored in the garden, where children played.

• He failed to maintain the gas cooker in good repair. He could not provide a Gas Safe certificate for the property.

Hussain, of Dashwood Avenue, was also fined for not displaying his information in a prominent place and displaying clear notices of how to escape in a fire.

Bracknell magistrates fined him £5,000 and ordered him to pay costs of £1,743 and a victim surcharge of £15. He pleaded guilty to all charges.

Councilllor Chris Watson, cabinet member for homes and housing, said: “Our officers work with local landlords to ensure that they are aware of their obligations to tenants.

“In most cases, responsible landlords work with us to ensure that the properties they rent out are safe.

“Regrettably, in some instances, landlords take no remedial action and tenants lives may even be put at risk as a result. In these cases, we can and do prosecute.”

Hussain did not comment when contacted by The Bucks Free Press.

A neighbour in Oakridge Road said the property had gone extensive renovation in recent months and was unoccupied. They said two families had lived there.