Landlord fined over 15-room bungalow conversion

A landlord who converted a three-bedroom bungalow into a 15-room house has been fined £12,000.

Meenu Jetwani, 53, known as Mona, admitted ten charges against her over the conversion in St Pauls Road, Egham, Surrey.

The fine was handed down at Staines Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, after a prosecution brought by Runnymede Borough Council.

The authority described the property as "appalling", and said the lives of those living in it had been "put at risk".

Inspectors found mould on the floor of a bathroom, inadequate smoke alarms and rooms in the loft and eaves spaces that could only be accessed by crawling.

The property only had one small kitchen and two bathrooms, with some of the occupants, who were paying between £85 and £125 a week, only having camp beds to sleep on.

None of the rooms met minimum legal size for occupation, while there were piles of rubbish in the garden, according to the council.

The council said it had to get a warrant to enter the property, and that Jetwani and her brother initially became aggressive, and said they would undress a baby to create a safeguarding issue to try to stop council officers visiting.

A council spokesman said: "This bungalow was in an appalling state. Our environmental health staff cannot remember another incident where a landlord had tried to profit to this extent.

"People’s lives have been put at risk because of these living conditions and a family home was turned into a cash cow."

Jetwani was also ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge.

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