East Lothian 'Harry Potter' landlord says cupboard room kept tenant off the street
A landlord who admitted a tenant slept in a cupboard under the stairs of one of his houses defended his action saying it kept the man off the street.
John Friel said that the discovery of the man staying in the cupboard had been described as " Harry Potter style " and was a "bit of a joke".
But he said the reality was that the man needed somewhere to stay and the alternative was turning him out on the street.
Speak to East Lothian licensing sub committee this week Mr Friel, who has applied for House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licences for two houses on Haddington's Hope Park, said the tenant had been staying in one of the houses but had to move into the neighbouring property.
At the time, he said, he had no room available and the man was having problems with his employers.
He said: "I let him stay in the cupboard under the stairs, I was helping him out, it was referred to as Harry Potter style at the time, it was a bit of a joke but the alternative was he would have been on the street and I didn't want that."
In the Harry Potter books the orphaned title character initially lives in the cupboard under the stairs of his aunt's home.
The use of the cupboard was included in a report to the sub committee which raised a number of issues about the two houses.
The committee was told one of the properties had an HMO licence which expired over three years ago while the other did not have one.
Mr Friel told the committee he had been unwell for a time which had impacted on his ability to apply for the licensing and said he had been unaware the smoke alarm system in one of the properties was not up to standard.
The committee heard Mr Friel sent emails confirming the electrical work required to update the alarms had been carried out minutes before they met to discuss the licence applications on Thursday this week.
However fire watch commander Torquil Cramer told the meeting he would have to visit the house and confirm the system was in place before he could update them on the properties.
Among concerns raised by licensing officers to the committee were claims single beds were discovered in garden sheds at both properties, tenants paid in cash and enforcement action was ongoing over the change of use of the houses without permission.
It was also claimed Mr Friel had put 'pods' in a conservatory at the back of one property which was erected without planning permission, however the landlord said the insulated pods were intended to be used to breed dogs not for tenants.
The sub committee agreed to defer a decision on whether to grant licences or not until the next meeting to give fire officers time to inspect the properties and gather updates on outstanding issues.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15-07-2025
- BBC News
Sunderland City Council block 'unacceptable' HMO
Plans for a new shared home have been blocked after being labelled "unacceptable" and "harmful" by council development City Council has refused proposals for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) at Riversdale Terrace in Sunderland's Millfield ward, due to the number already in the area and risk of anti-social behaviour. Planners said the house, which was proposed to be converted into a seven-bedroom dwelling across three floors, would "lead to an overconcentration of HMOs" if applicant has the right to challenge the council refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State. The initial proposed site plan showed all HMO bedrooms offering an en-suite bathroom, and some bedrooms served by also stated there would be a bin storage area and noted no parking would be provided, although plans were later amended to provide one space, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'Undermine quality of life' Council planners said there would be "adequate living space and an acceptable standard of amenity" for future they said its approval would result in the number of HMOs exceeding 10% of all residential properties within 100m (328ft), which went against council planning said the plans were an "inappropriate development" and would work against "the aim of creating places that are safe, inclusive and crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion and resilience".Northumbria Police also objected to those living in rooms on the second floor having to "travel the full height of the building to store food and prepare meals", as well as the "small amount of external space" and "potential for anti-social behaviour to spill out into the surrounding locality".Council planners concluded it would be "unacceptable as it would be considered to be harmful to the character and amenities of the area". Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Mystery of Finchdale Priory sword found in tree
A sword found stuck in a tree trunk near a 13th Century priory could have been put there by a Harry Potter fan, volunteers have theorised.A walker heading for Finchale Priory in Durham from the city's bus station came across the ornate sword, embedded up to its hilt in a remains a mystery to English Heritage, which preserves the old Benedictine priory, and to Durham County Council, which owns the land the sword was found English Heritage volunteer speculated the model sword had been made by a Potter fan in a nod to the fantasy series. Walker Alan Finnegan said he stumbled across the "sword in the tree" on the way to the priory."It was on the other side of the river, up the steps towards the car park," he posted images of the mystery sword on social media, said he had discovered nothing concrete about the weapon's his appeals, people told him that the sword might not have been in the tree for a very long time. "I personally don't know much about the history but I've heard that it wasn't there for long, but with not much information on it, I'd say that it's a brilliant conversation starter," Mr Finnegan said."It makes people wonder about the history of the sword and where it has come from." The council confirmed the sword was on its land but said it did not know anything about it. It added the police had been informed, but no action needed to be taken as it was firmly lodged in the tree. Godric's sword? Finchdale Priory was founded in 1196 and became an outpost of Durham Cathedral, functioning as a holiday retreat for monks until the dissolution in Heritage spoke to its volunteers at the priory, who believe the sword must have been put there volunteer said: "I walked past the tree many times without noticing it and I only became aware of it when a visitor asked me what the story was behind it. "Following that, I was asked by some of the younger visitors where 'Godric's sword' was."In the Harry Potter book series, Godric's sword belonged to one of the founders of the Hogwarts houses, Gryffindor, and would only present itself to a worthy candidate."It's definitely not that sword, however, as it is described as having a handle that is encrusted with jewels," the volunteer said."My theory is that a Harry Potter fan made the sword and hammered it into the tree and then posted a pic on his or her social media asking 'is this Godric's sword?'" Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The National
17-06-2025
- The National
Landlord let man stay in 'Harry Potter' cupboard under some stairs
John Friel said that the discovery of the man staying in the cupboard had been described as 'Harry Potter style' and was a 'bit of a joke'. But he said the reality was that the man needed somewhere to stay, and the alternative was turning him out on the street. Speaking to East Lothian licensing subcommittee this week Friel, who has applied for House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licences for two houses on Haddington's Hope Park, said the tenant had been staying in one of the houses but had to move into the neighbouring property. READ MORE: 'Real wake-up call': Significant decline among harbour seals in Scotland, study finds At the time, he said, he had no room available and the man was having problems with his employers. He said: 'I let him stay in the cupboard under the stairs, I was helping him out, it was referred to as Harry Potter style at the time, it was a bit of a joke but the alternative was he would have been on the street and I didn't want that.' In the Harry Potter books the orphaned title character initially lives in the cupboard under the stairs of his aunt's home. The use of the cupboard was included in a report to the sub committee which raised a number of issues about the two houses. The committee was told one of the properties had an HMO licence which expired over three years ago while the other did not have one. Friel told the committee he had been unwell for a time which had impacted on his ability to apply for the licensing and said he had been unaware the smoke alarm system in one of the properties was not up to standard. The committee heard Friel sent emails confirming the electrical work required to update the alarms had been carried out minutes before they met to discuss the licence applications on Thursday this week. However, fire watch commander Torquil Cramer told the meeting he would have to visit the house and confirm the system was in place before he could update them on the properties. Among concerns raised by licensing officers to the committee were claims single beds were discovered in garden sheds at both properties, tenants paid in cash and enforcement action was ongoing over the change of use of the houses without permission. It was also claimed Friel had put 'pods' in a conservatory at the back of one property which was erected without planning permission, however the landlord said the insulated pods were intended to be used to breed dogs not for tenants. The sub committee agreed to defer a decision on whether to grant licences or not until the next meeting to give fire officers time to inspect the properties and gather updates on outstanding issues.
