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james73

We have to tackle slum landlords before it is too late

THE WAR against slum landlords in Glasgow who let vulnerable families live in
squalor is to be stepped up.

The pledge by city council bosses comes after the Evening Times revealed
yesterday how a cockroach-infested flat in Govanhill - where 11 Slovakian
Roma were living - had to be shut down because it was in such a disgusting state.

The top-floor property, one of around 60 owned by Mohammed Aslam, had
no heating or hot water, was damp and had a toilet next to the cooker. The
council put a closure order on the property.

Today deputy council leader Jim Coleman said he believed hundreds of
people could be living in similar horrendous conditions.

And he warned it was only a matter of time before a disaster happened.

Mr Coleman has called a series of top-level meetings in the city council
and is to press the Scottish Government for a change in the law.

Because the seven children and four adults living in the flat in Allison
Street were all from the same family, Mr Aslam did not have to register
the property as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

That requires landlords to follow a set of stringent rules to ensure the
house or flat is in good condition.

But people from the same family can live in a property without the landlord
having to apply for an HMO licence - and the council has limited power to
intervene.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

zolita1908 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject:

I seen an article about this in the ET yesterday, the place looked like a squat
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xxx zos xxx

A great many open minds should be closed for repairs.

james73 · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:59 pm Post subject:

This place is minging... so I’ll take my fight to court

A MOTHER of two has told landlord Mohammed Aslam I'll see you in court' - after
he refused to repair dangerous wiring and plumbing at her damp house.

Yvonne Harvey, 42, said she contacted Mr Aslam in September, asking him
to repair a dilapidated immersion heater that is the only source of hot water
in her home.

She has started to withhold her half of the £650 a month rent she pays Mr
Aslam in protest at the state of the detached house in Shawlands.

And when he tried to evict her and eight-year-old son Jack with just five
days' notice, she decided to take him on.

Ms Harvey, who has the other half of her rent paid through benefits said:
"The place was minging when we moved in four years ago and I had to
decorate and put a new floor in the kitchen.

"But there's bad damp because of leaks, the central heating doesn't work
and there's bare wires in the water heater.

"It's up to him to fix them and he won't do it."

Yvonne spoke out after the Evening Times revealed disgusting conditions
in another of Mr Aslam's flats which was forcibly shut by Glasgow City Council.

The landlord has been criticised for renting out slum properties to families,
including a number of flats let to Roma families in Govanhill.

HMO legislation currently does not protect tenants when everyone in the
property comes from the same family - and calls are now growing to close
the loophole.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 12:43 pm Post subject:

Maybe I own 60 flats, maybe two . . . it's nobody's business

CONTROVERSIAL landlord Mohammed Aslam today promised all his Glasgow
tenants he would repair their homes - once his army of part-time tradesmen
got time off their day jobs.

The landlord, who was forced to shut down a cockroach-infested flat he
rented out in Govanhill, today admitted he couldn't cope with the demands
of running all the properties he owns.

In an interview with the Evening Times, the secretive property owner
claimed: l His life was in danger after we exposed conditions at a number
of his properties this week l Tenants were to blame for all of the problems l
He would sue the council, which forced the closure of the flat in Govanhill,
over treatment he said was unfair Mr Aslam spoke out after we contacted
him about dangerous conditions at a house he rents to mum Yvonne
Harvey in Shawlands.

Her story emerged following the closure of the Govanhill flat, which had
been home to a Slovakian Roma family of 11.

Hitting back at the coverage, Mr Aslam accused Evening Times reporters of
being evil, devious "lowlifes" and even said the paper, as part of the
media, was to blame for the death of Princess Diana.

Mr Aslam warned: "You think you are very smart. I am going to come up
and see you one of these days.

"I am not a violent person but you have violated my statutory rights."

Asked if he was threatening violence, he replied: "Oh no. I am a businessman,
not an evil person like you."

He insisted that residents of the Govanhill flat closed by the city council
had thrown rubbish from windows and damaged his flat themselves.

The landlord claimed he suffered racial discrimination from the council
after it shut down the Allison Street flat, which had no central heating or
hot water.

He said he had traced the family and accused them of destroying antique
fixtures in the property.

Mr Aslam said: "I told them to write down what the council did when they
came and took photos.

"If I find the council negligent in any way I am going to ask my lawyer to
file a lawsuit.

"I think Glasgow council needs a wake-up call."

He later insisted: "The council did me a very big favour putting these
people out.

"Now I'm going to ask the council to put every one of these Slovakian
people out. It's not racial - they do too much damage.

"I'd rather have an alcoholic or a guy who abuses drugs because at least
when he's sober he'll clean up."

After our stories this week, he claimed: "You put my life in danger. People
called me and they threatened me."

He said he was racially abused by a Glaswegian boy demanding to know
how he had come to own so many houses.

Yesterday we revealed conditions at a house he rents to bar worker
Yvonne Harvey and son Jack, who has asthma.

Ms Harvey has been withholding part of the rent on the flat after Mr Aslam
refused to repair dangerous electrical equipment and fix water damage
and damp that has led to mushrooms growing in one cupboard.

She will face her landlord in court later this month but Mr Aslam said: "I'm
going to put her out, no matter what.

"I'm selling my house and moving in there myself."

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 12:19 pm Post subject:

One in four landlords fail to join national scheme

ONE in four Scots landlords have failed to sign up for a national registration
scheme.

The scheme set up to give better protection to private tenants has been
"far too slow" in getting off the ground.

And despite a rise of more than 50% signing up in the past two years,
housing charities say more needs to be done.

The latest blow comes just weeks after the Evening Times revealed how
private landlords were renting flats out to families in appalling conditions.
In one case a flat owned by Mohammed Aslam in Allison Street in
Govanhill was forcibly shut down by the council. The cockroach-infested
flat was home to a Slovakian Roma family of 11.

ohn Blackwood, director of the Scottish Association of Landlords, said:
"Reputable landlords want to see landlord registration take the appropriate
action against rogue landlords and welcome a landlord accreditation as a
positive step towards engaging with landlords and letting agents in
promoting best landlord practice in Scotland."

Archie Stoddart, director of Shelter Scotland, said: "We fully supported
landlord registration as a way to raise standards in the private rented
sector and remove rogue landlords.

"Progress was far too slow to start with but it is encouraging that 75% of
landlords are now registered. We hope it that it will not be long until that
figure is 100%."

Latest figures show the number of property owners now recognised by
Scotland's Landlord Registration Scheme has risen from 15% to 75% and
applications have risen from 13,500 to around 86,000 in the last year.

The scheme was designed to ensure all private landlords meet minimum
legal requirements.

Communities and Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell revealed the figures as
he launched Landlord Accreditation Scotland, a voluntary add-on scheme
which will raise standards further for landlords.

Similar to a Kite Mark, it goes beyond the minimum requirements of
Landlord Registration Scheme by encouraging private landlords to win
accreditation for managing their properties to certain standards.

Members will also need to attend at least one training course each year to
ensure there is continuous improvement in their practices.

And tenants looking for a property can learn which landlords are meeting
the highest standards.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:41 pm Post subject:

Time to get tough (Evening Times)

GLASGOW housing bosses say rogue landlords should be jailed if they flout
new laws aimed at tackling the city's slums.

City council officials asked Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell to support
a list of new strategies when he visited Govanhill in the South Side and saw
overcrowded and cockroach-infested flats.

The officials said more legal powers, backed by more cash, were desperately
needed.

In a briefing paper to the minister, David Webster, the council's director
of housing strategy, highlighted areas where the law was too weak.

He warned: "Under the legislation, as it currently stands, failure of a
private landlord to comply with registration requirements will at no stage
involve the ultimate sanction of prison.

"Given the large cash flows and high assets of many landlords involved in
Govanhill this may make enforcement very difficult."

Mr Maxwell was given a guided tour of the area yesterday by local
councillor Anne Marie Millar.

He said he was shocked by the appalling condition of the flats some
families call home.

In one flat he visited, a baby slept in a pram while cockroaches swarmed
over a wall just inches away.

At least three adults and eight children live in the flat, crammed into just
two bedrooms.

A colony of cockroaches had taken over a wardrobe and the living room
was open to the elements, with a couple of thin wooden boards on the
window failing to seal the gaps left by missing panes of glass.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

HollowHorn · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject:

james73 · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

The area’s so bad it’s called Ground Zero but the kids are more like
Ground Force! (Evening Times)

The area's so bad it's called Ground Zero but the kids are more like Ground
Force!

It is easy to see why a stretch of Govanhill in the South Side of Glasgow
has been nicknamed "Ground Zero".

The block in Westmoreland Street typifies the area's problems: neglected
slum housing; exploitative landlords and friction with a group of new
residents.

The latest arrivals are from Eastern Europe.

Most don't speak English and some don't read or write in any language.

Older residents claim the families' children gathered in the streets or
playing in the squalid back "greens" are responsible for much of the
vandalism that blights the area. And no doubt some are.

But when the kids from Ground Zero got the chance to turn into Ground
Force, they set about cleaning up the neighbourhood in no time.

This week's operation, part of the Clean Glasgow campaign backed by the
Evening Times, is the latest in a constant cycle of small interventions
across the city responding to complaints from residents and reports from
council officials.

Four closes in the street were targeted by a team comprising social work
and land services staff, with the help of people sentenced to community
service.

James H
_________________
Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:21 am Post subject:

Promise to end misery of slums (Evening Times)

GLASGOW today launched an action plan to take slum flats from rogue
landlords and make them fit to live in.

City council leader Steven Purcell pledged £2million to kickstart the
programme.

And he set up a task force - led by environmental services director Robert
Booth - to establish what the council must do to improve appalling
housing conditions endured by hundreds of families in Govanhill.

The announcement came after Mr Purcell saw the conditions for himself.

He visited a two-bedroom flat lived in by an extended family of 20. Their
home, which costs £400 a month, is infested with cockroaches, has no
access to hot running water and has a dilapidated gas heater surrounded
by electric fires.

The task force will come up with a detailed plan to tackle such problems
by next April.

But before then, work has already begun to force landlords to repair their
properties or risk losing them to the local housing association.

Officials have started the lengthy legal process to force owners of the
worst flats in the area to sell up and politicians are calling on the Scottish
Government to speed the arrival of new powers to further tackle rogue
landlords.

James H
_________________
Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

cybers · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject:

Whilst in theory it is a great idea... It will never happen.
I know why they want to do it but have they considered the outcry.
They will be tied up in litigation for years trying to remove these properties from the slum lords.
Then god forbid the landlord is not of Caucasian ethnicity the race relations board get involved. More problems not to mention the obvious
one of yet again the government introducing a nanny state where we cant
be trusted.

Unfortunatley there are those that are in the property business as a way to make
a quick buck but they are unwilling to outlay cash to bring housing up to
an acceptable standard for living in.

Doubt anything I say ?

Read Above Mr Aslam has instigated most of these already.
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MY FLICKR
Smile let them think your crazy.... Dont Speak to confirm it !!!