Rogue landlords and their managing agent have been fined a total of almost £5,000 after forcing their tenants to live in unacceptable conditions in a shared house in Grays.

Devinder Singh Rai and Sohan Singh Rai, both of Upney Lane, Barking, were found guilty of failing to return information about a house in multiple occupation (HMO) and failing to maintain the property in good repair when they appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Managing agent Ashford of Essex Limited, of High Road, Goodmayes, and its company directors Akhtar Latif and Mohammed Mobeen Mian Imtiaz were also found guilty.

The court heard that Thurrock Council found 25 offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 when they visited the shared house in Boscombe Avenue, Grays, in June last year.

The property contained five bedrooms, with unrelated occupants sharing a single kitchen, bathroom and WC. Among the issues identified were cables trailing along a front path, a water damaged and split ceiling, a poorly secured front door, broken kitchen units, damp and non-working gas boiler and cooker.

Basic information and documents were subsequently requested by the council as part of its investigation, but they were not provided.

Devinder Singh Rai and Sohan Singh Rai were each fined £850 and ordered to pay £790 costs and a £40 victim surcharge. Ashford of Essex Limited was fined £2,380 and ordered to pay £790 costs and a £40 victim surcharge, while Latif and Imtiaz were each fined £400 and told to pay £315 costs and a £70 victim surcharge.

Cllr Barry Johnson, Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for Housing, said: “We believe everyone should have a good quality and safe place to live.

“This case is another reminder that we will not tolerate irresponsible landlords who fail to provide acceptable living conditions and have poor management arrangements in place.

“We have introduced a new additional licensing scheme in certain parts of the borough this month to tighten regulations around shared homes even further.”