Hello Readers,
I have recently come across a news alert about a landlord in Gravesend, who has been fined £35,000 after failing to properly license his HMO and thought I would share the details with you.
It’s so sad that all the good landlords continue to be let down by a handful of rogue operators who continually give us a bad name.
The landlord, Lalli Sidhu who owns Gravesham Let & Management Ltd was initially issued with a £17,500 fine back in August 2024 because his property in Parrock Street housed two families and a total of seven people in total so should have had a license.
In addition to this, Lalli had a series of failings including not providing relevant information to tenants, 14 instances of failing to implement required safety measures and seven of failing to maintain the property – he was fined £16,875 for these.
The case was fairly straightforward and as he had refused to pay, he was taken to court and the judge ordered him to pay a total of £34,375 including court costs (arguably adding many thousands more to the total).
One thing I have noticed however, is how Gravesham Let & Management Ltd doesn’t actually own any properties and as of April 30th 2025, the company had assets of just under £3,000. This may not mean anything, but it’s certainly curious to see that he has no properties in the company that is referenced here.
Unfortunately, these instances are all too common and you may recall how, back in September 2025, I wrote an article following the BBC documentary For Rent: Rooms Under The Radar that revealed thousands of black market HMOs.
Of course, with the tightened legislation of the Renters’ Rights Bill in force from 1st May hopefully, there will be an even higher disincentive for rogue operators, however I am not entirely sure how councils will police the changes.
When it comes to HMOs, with high housing costs and increased mortgage rates, my personal opinion is that they DO provide something of a solution but only if they are high quality, managed properly and with professional tenants.
For the south east, for example, you will see how the annual rental income, according to Lendlord, is actually the highest for any area in the UK. This is a great reason for investors to consider the avenue!
Ultimately, cases like this should serve as a reminder rather than a representation of the sector as a whole.
Yes, enforcement is absolutely necessary, and landlords who fail to meet basic standards should be held accountable, there’s no question about that. But at the same time, it’s important not to lose sight of the role that well-run HMOs play, particularly in areas like Medway and the wider South East where affordability continues to be a major issue.
The reality is that demand for HMOs is only going to increase and for investors, this presents a clear opportunity, but also a significant responsibility.
The days of “hands-off” or poorly managed HMOs are thankfully coming to an end. The landlords who will succeed in this space are those who treat it professionally, understand the regulations, and ultimately provide a good standard of living for their tenants.
Because at the end of the day, HMOs aren’t the problem… poorly run HMOs are.
As always, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. The best way to contact me is by emailing hasan@home-share.co.uk.
Hasan