A landlord has been fined by Westmorland and Furness Council for multiple breaches of the law controlling houses in multiple occupation or HMOs.
Council officers found significant breaches of the HMO Management Regulations in the property in Barrow town centre. These included a lack of internal fire doors, a totally inadequate fire alarm system, and no compliance safety checks being done. There was also no HMO licence in place for the property.
The landlord did begin the process of making an application for an HMO licence, but the occupants then moved out and the property was sold, with the application never being completed.
The council decided the sale of the property did not negate the significant breaches of licensing and management regulations, with the landlord being fined £15,000.
The issues had been discovered following a spate of fires both accidental and arson in the town centre in July 2025, leading to the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service leading a multi-agency response.
The council joined partners in a door-to-door operation talking to residents about fire safety, and it was when knocking at one property that it became apparent it was an unlicensed HMO. A subsequent full property assessment uncovered the degree of failings.
Westmorland and Furness Council is required under legislation to ensure HMOs are “reasonably suitable for occupation” by a certain number of people. There must be satisfactory management arrangements in place, and the licence holder and manager must be fit and proper persons to undertake these responsibilities.
The HMO Management Regulations place a duty on landlords to undertake safety measures such as annual gas safety checks, fit fire doors and maintain fire alarms.
Councillor Judith Derbyshire, the Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety has welcomed the fine.
“This was a deeply concerning example of a landlord taking rent from a number of people without putting in place the proper protections to keep those people safe. The complete lack of fire doors and the almost complete absence of a fire alarm system put multiple lives in that property at risk if fire had broken out.”
“It is worrying as well as ironic that all these issues were uncovered during a multi-agency operation to address a spate of fires in Barrow town centre.”
“The council will continue to robustly pursue any landlord who cuts corners and puts their tenants’ lives at risk.”
Councillor Tony Callister, the Chair of the Furness Locality Board, added:
“There have been concerns about some HMOs in Barrow for some time, so it is good to see a rogue landlord being brought to book. I would like to thank council officers and the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for doing this work to keep people safe.”
For more about HMOs visit Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) | Westmorland and Furness Council