A landlord who was hit with a series of fines after allowing people to sleep in off-limit rooms has lodged an appeal.
Carmine Salamone, 59, of Bagge Road in Gaywood, was sentenced at Lynn Magistrates’ Court in June last year after pleading guilty to two counts of breaching prohibition orders at HMO (houses of multiple occupation) properties where he was the landlord.
West Norfolk Council prosecuted, with Mr Salamone letting extra rooms for use as sleeping accommodation despite being strictly told he was forbidden from doing so.
Now, he has lodged an Upper Tribunal appeal in a bid to secure another hearing – having already had a First-tier Tribunal appeal rejected.
Despite admitting the offences last year, he now claims the properties – located on Highfield and Westmark in Gaywood – were in fact not being operated as HMOs.
In a witness statement submitted as part of his Upper Tribunal appeal, Mr Salamone – who has been a landlord in Lynn for more than 30 years – said: “The council appears to have assumed my guilt from the outset. I was never offered a fair process.”
On the Highfield property, he added: “The same tenants accused of being unlawfully housed in this matter remain at the property to this day.
“They were, and remain, a single family unit, four blood relatives and a close friend with medical needs, whom they were caring for.
“At most, this may have constituted two households for a limited period, but never a HMO requiring a licence under the law. The suggestion that I operated unlicensed HMOs is factually incorrect.”
He said that his former partner and children now reside at the Westmark property.
“I believe that this matter has been pursued with personal malice,” he added.
“I have been denied assistance, subjected to slander, and painted as someone I am not. I am not a criminal. I am a working man, a father and a carer.
“All I have ever done is try to keep going, despite hardship. The council has behaved in a way that is not only unfair but deeply damaging to my mental wellbeing and reputation.
“I respectfully ask the Tribunal to allow my appeal to go forward and give me the opportunity to present my case fully, fairly, and without the shadow of false allegations.”
The borough council was approached for comment, but did not wish to make a statement on an ongoing case.
Mr Salamone’s offences dated back to January 2023. First, at the Highfield property, he allowed a room accessed off the kitchen to be used for sleep.
This breached a prohibition order made under section 20 of the Housing Act 2004 relating to a category one hazard, while the offence itself was contrary to section 32 of the act.
In the same month, he committed an identical offence at the Westmark property.
For the Highfield offence, he was fined £3,500, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £1,400 and court costs of £5,450.
For the Westmark offence, he was fined £3,500.
Following the sentencing, Mark Whitmore, the assistant director of health, wellbeing and public protection at the borough council, said Mr Salamone had “a history of breaching regulations that provide for people’s safety and welfare”.
“This result is good news for tenants and also for the many good landlords we have. For the landlords who put profits first and ignore their duties, I hope this serves as a reminder that such decisions come with consequences,” Mr Whitmore said at the time.
