Claim that not having HMO council license "puts tenants' lives at risk"

A council believes that a landlord was “putting tenants’ lives in danger” because he did not have local authority licenses for two HMOs. 
Paul Miell pleaded guilty at Stevenage magistrates’ court to not having an HMO license for two properties in the town. 
He was fined £4,000 for each property without a license, and was ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and the council’s legal costs of £1,818.37.
The council says its environmental health team had asked Miell to carry out works at one of the properties to make it suitable for a single family and warned him that if he re-let the house as an HMO he would need to carry out further work and obtain a license. 

In a statement after the court proceedings the council says Miell “was deemed by the magistrates to be putting tenants’ lives in danger by not having licenses for the properties.”
A spokesman for the council says: “Not carrying a license is a serious offence so if you rent out a house in multiple occupation in Stevenage make sure you have one as you could be putting tenants’ lives in danger. I would encourage residents or landlords to come forward if they know of someone who doesn’t carry a license as we will take action.”