A rogue landlord has been fined £5,600 after his unsafe and poorly maintained property had a “serious impact” on a tenant’s mental health.
The property was found to be in a state of extensive disrepair, with mould and fire safety issues throughout.
Wajid Mahmood was fined after failing to comply with an improvement notice issued by Ribble Valley Borough Council.
He jointly owned the property in Clitheroe, Lancashire, with another man but after Mahmood’s guilty plea the charges were withdrawn against the other landlord.
Investigators found the front door on the ground-floor flat didn’t lock and the shower only ran cold. Additionally significant mould and damp were found in the property, alongside a defective boiler and faulty electrics.
Blackburn magistrates were told that the poor state of the property, and the long-running fight to get issues sorted, had a serious impact on the tenant’s mental health and he was unable to wash himself properly due to a lack of hot running water.
The council issued an improvement notice to the landlords requiring remedial works be carried out.
Subsequently, a new tenant moved in and also complained to the council about ongoing problems with the property. Council staff carried out another inspection which found the majority of the repairs listed in the improvement notice had not been carried out.
Mahmood £2,025 was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £2,846.54 — making a total of £5,601.54.
Remediation works are now being carried out at the property and are almost completed.
“Rented properties should be safe, clean and secure and landlords have a moral, as well as legal, duty to ensure they meet the proper standards,” said councilor Mark Hindle, chair of the council’s health and housing committee.
“In this case the tenant was badly let down and the state of the property was so bad, without basic essentials such as hot water or heating, that it had a detrimental impact on his mental and physical wellbeing.
“The joint landlords had plenty of opportunities to make things right but they did essentially nothing to improve the situation.”
