News

Council advocates for resident safety in novel High Court ruling

17 May 2021
Thurrock Council has been successfully granted with an interim injunction by the High Court to prevent residents living in an unsafe House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), in what is believed to be a UK first.
On Friday 7 May, the High Court granted the interim injunction against 2 residents who had continued living in a HMO in Grays. They had continued living there despite a number of dangerous Category One and Category Two hazards being identified at the property, including risk of fire and inadequate means of escape.

Tough action against rogue landlords continues

9 November 2020
A Grays landlord has been ordered to pay more than £18,000 after failing to provide adequate living conditions for his tenants.
Chelmsford magistrates fined Palmview Estates and the company's sole director Hersch Sternlicht for letting undersized rooms following a hearing last Thursday (5 November).
The court heard that Prohibition Orders were made on the four undersized rooms by Thurrock Council in September 2017. Officers reviewed the Orders in 2019 and found that two of the rooms had been let to new tenants.

Improved conditions for house in multiple occupation in Grays

30 October 2020
Living conditions for tenants in a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Grays have been substantially improved through work undertaken by Thurrock Council.
Recent works to the property in William Street have ensured a safe environment is now provided for the residents, including new windows, fire doors and fire detection system.
The council first identified 6 Category One hazards and 5 Category Two hazards at the property in August 2019, giving the landlord 21 days to put the dangers right. Hazards included:

Sign-up for Thurrock News – our monthly email newsletter.

Media enquiries

Journalists and media professionals can make enquiries from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, 01375 652 017 or at communicationsteam@thurrock.gov.uk.

For emergency media enquiries outside of these times, phone 07912 782 470.

The communications team email inbox is not monitored outside of office hours, so email media enquiries received out-of-hours may not be answered until the next working weekday.

We advise our staff, when approached directly by a member of the media, not to answer questions themselves but to refer you to the communications team who will provide our response.

We do not normally comment on individual cases or enquiries relating to council staff.