A landlord with a history of breaching safety regulations has been hit with a series of fines after allowing people to sleep in off-limit rooms.
Carmine Salamone, 58, of Bagge Road in Gaywood, was sentenced at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on June 11.
He had pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching prohibition orders at HMO (houses of multiple occupation) properties where he was the landlord, with the prosecution brought by West Norfolk Council.
He let extra rooms for use as sleeping accommodation despite being strictly told he was forbidden from doing so.
The offences dated back to January 2023. First, at a Highfield property - also in Gaywood - he allowed a room accessed off the kitchen to be used for sleep.
This breached a prohibition order made under section 20 of the Housing Act 2004 relating to a category one hazard, while the offence itself was contrary to section 32 of the act.
In the same month, Salamone committed an identical offence at a HMO property on Westmark, also in Gaywood.
For the Highfield offence, he was fined £3,500, and will also pay a victim surcharge of £1,400 and court costs of £5,450.
For the Westmark offence, Salamone was fined £3,500.
Following the conviction, Mark Whitmore, the assistant director of health, wellbeing and public protection at the borough council, said: “Landlords have a duty to ensure that the properties they let are safe, and meet welfare standards.
“Carmine Salamone admitted breaching prohibition orders in two HMO (houses of multiple occupation) properties, having let extra rooms for use as sleeping accommodation where he had been specifically told that those rooms could not be used in this way.
“As the court heard, he has a history of breaching regulations that provide for people’s safety and welfare, which is why the fines for these offences were so high.
“This result is good news for tenants and also for the many good landlords we have. For the landlords who put profits first and ignore their duties, I hope this serves as a reminder that such decisions come with consequences.
“We will continue to take action to protect tenants in West Norfolk.”