A landlord has been caught renting out a damp garage without a proper front door and no heating as a “studio flat” for £1,000 a month.

The small building in Brooke Road, Clapton, flouted basic safety and planning rules and one “wall” was made of wooden shutters used previously for car access.

When council officers visited the building – which had no planning permission and didn’t meet building regulations – they found two people living there.

The garage had been marketed as a one-room studio flat, despite having damp problems, no secure front door, a concrete floor and inadequate heating and kitchen facilities.

The council helped the pair find a new home, and slapped the landlord with a prohibition order to stop it being used as a flat – with the threat of criminal prosecution and an unlimited fine if ignored.

Hackney’s deputy mayor Cllr Philip Glanville, said: “Those who seek to exploit the demand for housing in Hackney to rake in cash through illegal conversions like this should not doubt that we will follow through on our warnings of enforcement action.

“This landlord had barely made any attempt to meet even the basic standards we expect, and we’ll continue to monitor this property to ensure it can’t be used again in this state.

“We will prosecute those who break the law when necessary and always press for the strongest penalties.”

Hackney Council is asking residents to sign a petition calling on the government to modernise legislation to protect private tenants..

View the petition at hackney.gov.uk/10-steps.