DMU Lecturer Fined In Court For Illegal Student Housing

A prominent lecturer at De Montfort University has pleaded guilty for illegally renting a house without a license.

Dr Obas Ebohon was fined for failing to properly ensure that the property was safe and adequate for people to live in.

The reader in Energy and Sustainable Development, and a top academic in his field, was charged with four offences, all concerning a house he let to seven Leicester Uni students.

Leicester Magistrates Court

These offences included the boundary walls of the building not being maintained to a safe standard, and the windows and ventilation system falling foul of the same lack of care and attention.

An inspection of the property showed an outside wall was falling down, a supposed fire door did not actually close, nor provide a safe means of escape.

The lock of the front door was faulty, one shower was blocked and the other was not working. There were cracks in the plaster, as well as in the door and window frames upstairs.

Dr. Ebohon is a lecturer at De Monfort University

When confronted with this long list of problems however, Dr Ebohon’s solicitor simply stated that his client “did everything required of him”, and blamed the damage to the doors and windows on the student tenants.

The DMU lecturer was only fined £2000 altogether but the damage to his academic career, and the reputation of the university, will cost him dearly.

With most second and third years just having moved in to rented accommodation, Aine O’Brien, one of the students who lived in the property said: “We were having issues getting things fixed with the property, so we went to the university welfare office who told us to check whether it’s a licensable building or not.”

“As the building had more than 3 floors and 7 of us living in it, it should have been licensed as a ‘house of multiple occupancy’ but it wasn’t.”

Highfields; along with Clarendon and Evington, is a popular student area

Both Dr. Ebohon and the letting agents, IPS, are being prosecuted, with IPS pleading not guilty.

Students are advised to check whether they’re houses are licensed because if it isn’t, the place may not be up to scratch and any rent paid while living in the unlicensed property could be claimed back.

One 2nd year student the Tab talked to said, “i’m surprised a high profile university figure could treat students so badly”.

A full list of student properties who are liscensed as a house of multiple occupancy can be found on Leicester councils website page.

Click here to check whether your house is legally licensed.