A man who rented an unlicensed and poorly-maintained property – described by Brent Council as a “death trap” – was fined tens of thousands of pounds on Tuesday.

Petru Dregan was fined £20,000, and ordered to pay £6,520 in court costs, after he was found guilty of breaking housing management regulations at the home in The Drive, Wembley.

The council’s licensing enforcement team raided the house earlier this year, where they found mould-covered walls, blocked off doorways and covered smoke alarms.

Most of the rooms, including the pantry, were covered with mattresses and, in one bedroom, makeshift bunkbeds allowed ten men to sleep in a space designed for two.

One tenant told enforcement officers that he was paying £50-a-week to live at the property.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, responsible for housing at Brent Council, said: “The court's decision is a positive result for renters in Brent who have a right to safe and decent living conditions.

“In a poorly managed property like this one, people's lives are at stake. Landlords, agents and sub-letters who ignore licensing laws and the regulations around housing management will be hit hard with heavy fines.”

She reminded people that selective licensing in Brent has extended to all privately-rented properties in Dudden Hill, Kensal Green, Kilburn, Mapesbury and Queen’s Park.