A MAN who ilegally rented out rooms in his property has been fined £6,000.

Marcus Brade, 38, let out rooms in the three-storey house at 8 Sturrocks, Vange, but failed to licence the house as being of multiple occupation under the Housing Act 2004.

Under the Act a property has to be licenced if it is three-storeys or more and occupied by five or more people living in two or more single households.

Basildon Magistrates’ Court heard that since May 2009, Brade, of Wickhay, Basildon, was given several chances by the council’s environmental health team to get a House of Multiple Occupancy licence for the property.

But Brade insisted only four of the seven rooms in the property were rented.

In December last year council officers got a warrant to search the house and found all seven rooms were being occupied by six adults and four children.

Brade, who failed to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court, was found guilty and sentenced in his absence to pay a £6,000 fine, £1,400 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Frank Tomlin, Basildon Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Mr Brade was given ample opportunity to apply for a licence.

“By choosing to provide false information and ignore the advice of the council, we had no choice but to prosecute.

“Licences provide affordable housing in the rented accommodation sector and are a valuable resource within the community.

“But it is important they are properly licenced as this ensures tenants receive a certain standard of accommodation and we intend to use all of the powers available to us to ensure that those high standards are maintained.

“We urge anyone who is using their property as a HMO without a license, to contact the council and rectify the situation.

“The council will continue to act in the best interests of tenants living in rented accommodation and seek out those landlords who avoid licensing their property.”