A landlord has been fined £20,000 after a dawn raid revealed 28 tenants were jam-packed into an “unsafe” two-storey terrace house.

The tenants were squeezed into seven rooms at the property in Allerton Road, Stoke Newington, and had to share one kitchen and one bathroom between them.

Council investigators and police discovered the attic had been converted at the house where each bedroom had two bunk-beds sleeping four people, last October.

Landlord Alfred Landau ignored basic safety standards, and had not installed fire alarms.

Landau, of Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Stoke Newington, was fined £20,000 and made to pay costs and charges of £1,845 after pleading guilty to managing an unlicensed house of multiple occupation at Thames Magistrates Court.

Cllr Philip Glanville, cabinet member for housing, said: “The lack of any basic fire safety at this jam-packed property put lives at risk, and this maximum fine serves as a warning that we won’t stand by when we see unsafe conditions in Hackney’s homes.

“We’re determined to drive up standards for private renters in Hackney, and we won’t hesitate to take enforcement action and press for the strongest penalties for landlords who flout the rules.

“Those who seek to take advantage of London’s housing crisis for personal profit have no place in our borough.”