A landlord and property management company have been found guilty of “serious fire, health, and safety risks” at a house in multiple occupation (HMO)

As reported by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, council officers first visited the property at 36 Hyde Park Gate in August 2021 following a tenant complaint in 2020.

During their inspection, officers found that the property was being run without the necessary HMO licence and that tenants were living in “unsafe conditions”. The premises had reportedly been converted from four bedrooms into 22 rooms.

The council stated that landlord Mohammed Rasool and Blackstone Properties Management Limited had been given “repeated warnings”, but did not apply for an HMO licence. Eventually, officers visited the premises with the Met Police and the London Fire Brigade, where they identified the following fire safety concerns:

  • defective and damaged fire doors
  • inadequate fire separation between bedrooms
  • lack of fire safety protection in the boiler room or lobby
  • covered fire alarms
  • burnt out and loose electrical sockets.

Officers reported that tenants were using “camping-style facilities” to cook food in their room and that there was “rising damp and mould growth throughout the property”.

“The inside of the property was so damp that mushrooms were growing [on the] upper floors,” the council stated.

The case was retried at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 29 June 2026, after the defendant challenged the original proceedings from 2023.  

Mr Rasool and Blackstone Properties Management Limited were found guilty of managing an unlicensed HMO, failing to comply with an improvement notice, and six breaches of HMO management regulations – eight charges in total.

At the sentencing on 30 June 2026, Blackstone Properties Management Limited was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £12,176.68. Mr Rasool was fined £20,000.

Commenting on the successful sentencing, Councillor Johnny Thalassites, lead member for resident services, planning, and enforcement, said:

“Mr Rasool and Blackstone Properties Management Limited were given opportunities to put things right, but the court found they chose not to.

“We will continue to take action where landlords fail to follow the rules, because everyone in Kensington and Chelsea deserves a safe place to live.”