A landlord who kept licensing authorities in the dark about a shared house he was letting finally got caught after his tenants complained of overcrowding.

Kewal Singh Kajla, is the first landlord in the borough of Hounslow to be prosecuted for failing to apply for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) licence.

He admitted the offence at Brentford Magistrates' Court on June 22 and was fined £500.

Magistrates heard that despite Hounslow Council's efforts to notify him of his wrongdoing, Kajla, of Firs Drive, Hounslow, never applied for a licence for his rental property in Berkeley Avenue, Hounslow.

The court heard how the council's private sector housing officer, Gillian Sharp, visited the property in November last year after receiving a complaint of overcrowding.

The three-storey property consisted of 13 habitable rooms, three bathrooms, an extra toilet and one kitchen with two sets of cooking facilities.

It became clear during Ms Sharp's two-month investigation, in which time she visited the property six times, that Kajla was the landlord.

An application form was sent to him and he was told he needed to license the property. However, it was not until he was sent a court summons that he finally responded.

Deputy leader of Hounslow Council and leader for strategic housing Councillor Mark Bowen said: "Landlords who do not licence their properties demonstrate they are not committed to high standards, are unaccountable and are prepared to break the law."

Kajila still has to apply for a licence for the HMO. His tenants are now free to apply to the Residential Property Tribunal to claim back the rent they paid while the property was unlicensed.