Tower Hamlets (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tower Hamlets landlords fined £12,000 over fatal fire in overcrowded flat, where up to 22 tenants lived in three rooms; court confiscates nearly £80,000.
Following a fire at the Maddocks House apartment in Shadwell early on March 5, 2023, Aminur Rahman and Sofina Begum entered guilty pleas to nine housing offenses and were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The father of two, Mizanur Rahman, was killed in the fire that began when an e-bike battery caught fire.
The two admitted to committing housing offenses such as willfully allowing occupancy beyond the license and failing to provide a gas safety certificate of tenancy agreement.
Renting the apartment brought in £118,324 for the couple, the court heart. If Begum doesn’t pay within four months, she will be imprisoned for six months, and Rahman will be imprisoned for 28 days.
However, as they seek additional justice for the tragedy, the fire victims have inquired as to whether they will receive any of the money gathered from the landlords.
In an attempt to recover a portion of the profits from the cramped apartment, the fire victims are currently pursuing a civil lawsuit.
The Treasury will receive the money from the fine, while the Home Office, the courts and tribunals service, and Tower Hamlets Council are anticipated to share the confiscated funds.
Daniel Cooper, a partner at Imran Khan and Partners, who is the solicitor for the victims of the fire, said:
“On behalf of the victims who lived at the flat and survived the fire, we want to know what Tower Hamlets Council will be doing with the landlords’ funds, and whether these will be made available to the victims who have suffered terribly.”
Nasmush Shahadat, a survivor of the fire, said of the decision:
“We are pleased that the landlords who exploited us, and kept us in an unsafe, dangerous flat are punished. Now we need justice.
We lost property as a result of their negligence. We were traumatised by the fire. We lost a friend.
We ask Tower Hamlets Council to explain what they will do with the money confiscated from the landlords. Will this be made available for us to secure justice?”
With bunk beds and a shared toilet among occupants of an apartment they bought from the council under Right to Buy, the fire revealed contemporary slum conditions in the center of London.
One occupant said that after seeing an advertisement for the apartment in a Whitechapel newsagent, he paid £100 in cash to live there.
According to the judge, it has never been determined with certainty how many individuals live in the apartment.
Overcrowding in the apartment was a frequent grievance among the estate’s residents. After inspecting the apartment and determining that it was overcrowded, Tower Hamlets Council, the prosecuting authority against the landlords, issued a license to rent it to a maximum of three individuals.
According to a tenant who spoke, many of the people sleeping in the apartment were delivery drivers, and the deadly fire started when an e-bike battery that was being charged inside took off.
Despite Begum and Rahman’s initial guilty plea to housing offenses in November 2023, their penalties were delivered nearly two years to the day after the fire.
Living in the apartment when the fire occurred while pursuing an MBA, Ehsan Ahmed Choudhury claimed the fire destroyed his life and had an impact on his mental well-being.
“I couldn’t complete my study because of the fire, lots of things burned. I was depressed,”
Choudhury said.
“I couldn’t sleep properly. My happiness was gone.”
He added:
“When I saw little things I got scared, like if I go for a shower and steam comes off the water, I feel scared sometimes.”
Choudhury said the landlords should face prison for their actions. “Everything was so, so dangerous,” he said. “I don’t think a fine is enough. There needs to be several types of lessons.”
Following the sentencing, Lutfur Rahman, the executive mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
“We pursued this prosecution and the court’s decision sends a clear message: we will not tolerate criminal landlords who endanger lives for profit.
We will continue to do everything we can to ensure such cases are brought to justice in order to protect our community and we urge all local authorities to do the same.”
Since the fire, Tower Hamlets Council has assisted 299 renters residing in unlicensed houses in recouping £1.4 million in rent recovery orders and has issued 59 enforcement letters for overcrowding.
The family and friends of Mizanur Rahman, who sadly perished in the fire at Maddocks House due to a malfunctioning e-bike battery, as well as everyone impacted by this terrible event, are still in our thoughts and prayers, Rahman continued.
During a sentencing hearing, the judge informed the 30-year-married defendants Begum and Rahman that they had used “devices to conceal the enterprise,” such as changing their name and instructing the renters not to use the apartment as a postal address.
According to the judge, neither earns a living and both reside in East London with their three children, who provide them with both financial and emotional support.
The court heard that Begum lost her job driving special needs children to school after her sentence, while Rahman, a former butcher, is undergoing treatment for a gambling addiction.
Begum received a £78,049 confiscation order, a £10,000 fine, and £2,000 in costs; Rahman received a £1.01 confiscation and a £2,000 fine.
Following the fire, those residing in the apartment risked homelessness.
Tower Hamlets Council provided them with hotel accommodations after first telling them they had no access to public funding, but many of them found it difficult to find lodging that was better than the conditions they had left.
“We didn’t have any family, or anyone to help us. That’s why we’re staying in this place in the first place,”
said one.
In August 2024, neighbors dedicated a memorial garden for Mizanur Rahman, who perished in the fire, on what was once abandoned property near to Shadwell station. They called it “a little bit of paradise.”
What measures are being taken to prevent overcrowding in similar properties?
Data is being used by cities to identify properties that are overloaded and anticipate possible problems. To identify places at risk of overcrowding, this entails examining demographic trends, zoning regulations, and housing data.
It is essential that housing restrictions, such as zoning laws and health codes, be strictly enforced. This involves routine examinations to identify unlawful subdivisions and guarantee adherence to safety regulations.
Overcrowding can be decreased by expanding the supply of reasonably priced housing. This can be accomplished by allowing multi-family housing, easing development regulations, and collaborating with nonprofit organizations to offer additional housing options.
Involving local communities aids in the early detection and resolution of overcrowding problems. This includes assisting locals in reporting issues and engaging with neighborhood organizations to offer assistance.