Rogue Wembley landlord fined thousands for squeezing 30 men into cramped ‘death trap’ bungalow

A rogue landlord running a “death trap” bungalow in Wembley was fined tens of thousands of pounds in court on Tuesday.

Bunkbeds at overcrowded property in The Drive, Wembley. Picture: Channel 5 - Credit: Archant

Petru Dregan was fined £20,000 by Willesden Magistrates Court, and must also pay £6,520 in court costs, after breaching housing management regulations and failing to protect tenants in an unlicensed property.

The home in The Drive, which is off the A4088, was raided by Brent’s licensing enforcement team earlier this year, where they discovered 30 men living there. Ten men were sleeping on makeshift beds in a three-person room.

The team also noted the property was damp, mould-caked and had mattresses littered across the floors in multiple rooms.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Brent’s housing and welfare chief, said: “The court’s decision is a positive result for renters in Brent who have a right to safe and decent living conditions. In a poorly managed property like this one, people’s lives are at stake.”

The raid featured in an episode of Channel 5’s show, Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords on July 9, which dubbed conditions inside a “death trap”.