Council officers have discovered 17 men living in a squalid, dangerous three-bedroom house in Kingsbury following a raid on the property.
Up to five men were cramped into each bedroom inside the house, which has no hot water or heating, dangerous electric cables and a leaking sink.
A video released by Brent Council shows a filthy mattress was being used in the dirt-encrusted kitchen and the back garden was also filled with household rubbish and old mattresses.
The exploited tenants, who were charged £200 a month in rent, were advised to leave the property by council, police and immigration officers who raided the address last week.
One man was arrested for a previously convicted offence.
The raid was part of the council’s crackdown on landlords who rent out substandard, squalid and overcrowded unlicensed properties in the borough.
The men were paying a total of £3,400 cash in hand to one person living in the property who was in charge of paying the official rent of £1,200 per month.
It is illegal to rent out shared accommodation in Brent without a licence.
Cllr Harbi Farah, Brent Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Having to live with 16 other people in these cramped conditions is unacceptable. We are talking about people’s lives and no one deserves to spend theirs in a grimy, overcrowded house with no hot water or heating.
“While there are many good landlords in Brent who have licensed their properties, there’s still a significant number who haven’t, who are operating illegally and exploiting people for profit.
“We are in the process of identifying and taking enforcement action against unlicensed properties and I’m happy to see actions including the raid last week, taken against landlords who do not comply with the law.
“Licensing is good for everyone in Brent. It drives up standards in the private sector and ensures a good standard of living for our residents, something we are committed to providing.”
To apply for a licence visit brent.gov.uk/prslicensing or call 020 8937 2384.
If you suspect that someone is renting out an unlicensed property in Brent email prslicensing@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 2384/5.
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