Inside the unheated garage where a couple and their six-year-old daughter were charged £800-a-month to live by a rogue landlord

  • Family-of-three removed from rot infested garage they lived in for months
  • Had no heating or insulation and the windows and doors were all rotten
  • Despite that they were paying landlord £800 a month to live there
  • 'Frightened' trio finally told housing officers and have now been moved 

By Euan McLelland For MailOnline

Published: 11:37 EST, 22 December 2015 | Updated: 13:16 EST, 22 December 2015

An unscrupulous landlord has been banned from renting out his rot-infested garage after charging a couple and their six-year-old daughter £800-a-month to live in.

Environmental health officers acted after the frightened family finally reported the shocking conditions they had been living in for seven months to their local council.

Officers in Braunstone Town, Leicester, found that the detached double garage - built around 20 years ago - had undergone a partial conversion, equipping it with a small kitchen, bathroom and a bed-sitting room.

A family of three were living in this garage conversion which had been furnished with chairs, a TV and bed

A family of three were living in this garage conversion which had been furnished with chairs, a TV and bed

But there was no heating, inadequate insulation and no smoke alarms, while the windows and doors were found to be rotten.

In a later visit officers found a fault with the electrics, with the shower having stopped working as a result, and only one working plug socket.

And incredibly, the main garage door had not been removed by the landlord - meaning the family had nowhere to sit with natural light.

Officers from Blaby District Council said a fire in the property could have left them trapped.

The family, who were paying £400-a-fortnight in cash in an informal arrangement, did not even have access to the whole garage, as there was a room they could not get to which was used for storage.

They have now been moved to a new home in time for Christmas.

Council officers, who were unable to find any building regulations in relation to the garage, described it as 'small, cold and dark' and said the tenants were 'frightened' about coming forward because they feared what would happen to them.

Councillor Guy Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood and Environmental Services, said: 'There are a lot of laws covering rented properties and it can be hard for landlords to keep up to date with changes such as the new requirement for having smoke alarms fitted on every floor.

'It is hard to believe, however, that any landlord thinks that it is acceptable to let a family live in the conditions found in this property. I hope the strong action taken by Blaby District Council will deter other landlords from letting tenants live in poor conditions.'

The council's Environmental Health team served a Prohibition Order on the property, ensuring that the unnamed landlord will be prosecuted if anyone lives in the property before extensive works are completed to convert to approved standards.

There was no heating, inadequate insulation and no smoke alarms, while the windows and doors were found to be rotten

There was no heating, inadequate insulation and no smoke alarms, while the windows and doors were found to be rotten

The family, who were paying £400-a-fortnight in cash in an informal arrangement, did not even have access to the whole garage, as there was a room they could not get to which was used for storage

The family, who were paying £400-a-fortnight in cash in an informal arrangement, did not even have access to the whole garage, as there was a room they could not get to which was used for storage

 

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