A ROGUE landlord who was fined £39,000 after inspectors found his tenants living in “inhumane” conditions is facing bankruptcy.

Robert Crow, of Devereux Road, Southend, was handed the hefty fine in May after being found guilty of 15 breaches of regulations governing homes of multiple occupation, known as HMOs.

He returned to Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday after managing to pay off just £800 of the debt in five months.

He was told county court proceedings will now be launched against him.

Crow previously appeared at the court in August, when he was told he could pay back £50 a week as a temporary measure.

But District Judge John Woollard said Crow had failed to come up with a “realistic” long term plan to pay the outstanding fine.

Crow told the court: “I had an inspection of my premises and an inspector told me I don’t have a HMO.

“I have four self-contained flats. I was fined £40,000 on the basis of having a HMO and now an inspector has told me I don’t have a HMO.”

Although the house in Devereux Road is divided into four flats, when Southend Council officers visited they found two men living under tarpaulin in the garden and “squalid” conditions throughout the building.

Council officers called the conditions “inhumane” and said they were the worst they had ever seen.

Mr Woollard asked why Crow had not appealed the original decision if he believed it was wrong.

He replied: “Because I can’t afford it. They wanted £7,000 up front.”

He added: “I am due to make a payment today, I have got it in my pocket. I was told it would take 15 years. I don’t have £40,000, it’s as simple as that.”

Mr Woollard said the £50-a-week agreement was only temporary and asked to see a bank statement showing payments from tenants.

Crow said he did not have a business account because he “mixes business and the personal.”

He told the court Southend Council “is trying to close me down” by refusing to pay his two remaining tenants any housing benefit.

He said: “I have had no payments of rent from the council in three months. The council has stopped all their housing benefit.

“As far as I am concerned they are trying to drive me into bankruptcy. There is a prohibition order on two of my flats - I am not allowed by law to let them out until certain work is done. The other two have improvement orders.

“All the work is being done.

“I’m very reluctant to evict the two tenants, who are quite seriously disabled.

“I’m not in the business of evicting people, I’m in the business of accommodating people.”

Addressing Crow, Mr Woollard said: “This is a large sum of money. It has got to be received. You are not paying it in a way that means it is ever going to be repaid.

“You are not able to put forward any suggestion as to how you can pay.

“I am going to instruct the court service to take county court proceedings against you, by that I mean bankruptcy proceedings.

After listening to the judgement, Crow said: “Well I object strongly.”