Gorton landlord fined for making 11 tenants share customer toilet

The council said one room was too small to occupy

A landlord was fined more than £47,000 after cramming 11 tenants into a house with one toilet they had to share with shop customers.

Manchester City Council officials who visited the property in Gorton raised a range of safety concerns.

One of the seven bedrooms on Abbey Hey Lane was "too small to occupy" and the only toilet available was part of a shop on the ground floor, they said.

The building's owners have taken back control from the landlord.

Suzanne Richards, executive member for housing, said: "Unfortunately, these landlords often prey on the most vulnerable people, who are often not in a position to challenge their landlord.

"Decent homes are a right that everyone should be able to enjoy. If you put your tenants at risk, we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice and help improve conditions for our residents."

The landlord was fined £30,000 after failing to comply with an improvement notice issued by the city council, which required him to make changes to the building, the Local Democracy Reporter Service reported.

He was also fined a further £17,500 for failing to meet required safety standards and properly licence the property, following four visits between April 2018 and June 2019.

The council's findings were part of a wider crackdown, which has seen nearly £200,000 in fines handed out since 2018.