A landlord has been fined nearly £40,000 for letting her property to four times as many households as her licence allowed.

Judith Korkar Odompleh, of Sunningdale Avenue, Barking, rented out her three-bedroom house in Manor Park, Newham, to four families – including a mother and her 14-year-old daughter, a middle-aged couple and two single men.

But Odompleh, 64, had a licence to house just one family in the Durham Road property.

She pleaded guilty to 14 offences under the Housing Act 2004 and House of Multiple Occupation Regulations 2006 at Thames Magistrates’ Court last month and was fined £39,240 alongside council costs of £256.41 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Newham Council’s mayoral advisor for housing, Cllr Andrew Baikie, said the council will punish landlords who violate the law.

“Our licensing scheme is designed to protect tenants from landlords like Odompleh who overcrowd their properties in a bid to maximise their profits,” he said. “This large fine sends a stern warning to other landlords that magistrates are seeing through their stories.”