Cliff Notes
- The landlords of a severely overcrowded flat in east London have been fined nearly £100,000 after pleading guilty to multiple housing law breaches.
- The court heard that the two-bedroom flat, licensed for three occupants, was found to house up to 23 individuals at the time of a fatal fire caused by an electric bike battery.
- Mizanur Rahman, 41, died in the fire that occurred on 5 March 2023, with a coroner’s report later revealing heat and smoke inhalation as the cause of death.
- Landlords Sofina Begum and Aminur Rahman were fined and given a confiscation order, while ongoing investigations focus on the circumstances surrounding Rahman’s death and the legality of the flat’s occupation.
- An inquest into Rahman’s death highlighted the need for stricter regulations regarding ebike batteries, following a noted rise in fatal fires linked to such devices in the UK.
London ebike fire: landlords of ‘grossly overcrowded’ flat fined almost £100,000 | London
The landlords of a “grossly overcrowded” east London flat where a man died after an ebike battery started a fire have been fined almost £100,000 after pleading guilty to nine housing law breaches.
The judge, the recorder Emma Smith, said the landlords showed “blatant disregard for the law and for the occupants” of the property, when she sentenced them at Snaresbrook crown court on Thursday.
The two-bedroomed flat was licensed as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) for three people but up to 23 were living there.
Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father of two, was killed in a fire at the flat at Maddocks House in Shadwell on 5 March 2023 after an ebike battery started a ferocious blaze in the early hours of the morning.
Sofina Begum, 52, who had worked as a personal assistant to children with special needs, and her husband, Aminur Rahman, 55, a butcher, pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2023. The prosecutions were brought by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
On Thursday the judge issued a confiscation order of £78,049, along with a fine of £10,000 for Begum along with £2,000 in prosecution costs. Rahman was fined £2,000, with a confiscation order of £1.01. The court heard that neither had funds apart from the property where the fire occurred, which was valued at £155,000
She passed sentence in relation to a range of housing offences including permitting unauthorised occupation of the two-bedroomed flat. Investigations are ongoing separately in relation to the death in the fire. London fire brigade said the fire was started accidentally by a faulty ebike battery, which was charging at the time.
The other residents in the flat managed to escape. Nine bunk beds were found at the property, including two beds in the living room, and some residents are thought to have slept on the floor. The judge said on Thursday that the flat was grossly overcrowded and that some of the residents were told not to use the address for post as it could get the landlords into trouble.
The men had to share a single toilet and said the property was riddled with bedbugs, mould and dirt. One said it was “like a prison”.
The offences are thought to have been committed by the landlords over at least a six-month period with the couple earning about £40,000 from their tenants. Former residents of the flat have said they paid about £90 or £100 a week in rent to the married couple, mostly paid in cash.
The majority of those who were living in the flat on the night of the fire are of Bangladeshi heritage and some were combining university studies with part-time work as delivery couriers.
Begum, whose name was on the licence, and Rahman pleaded guilty to offences including knowingly permitting unlicensed occupation, four counts of failing to comply with licence conditions and failing to comply with the requirements of a licence notice.
An inquest into Mizanur Rahman’s death in August 2023 found he died of heat and smoke inhalation injuries. The coroner found that the battery had probably been plugged into a charger with a different voltage rating. He called on the government to introduce tougher regulations on ebike batteries and chargers, which have been linked to a series of deadly fires.
In 2023 11 deaths due to ebike fires were recorded across the UK. After Rahman’s death 12 survivors of the fire launched legal action against their landlords and the battery’s manufacturer.