A landlord company in County Durham has been fined £42,500 after tenants were found living in unsafe conditions, including sleeping on floors covered in dead rats, mice, human waste and urine.Carter Property Services, owned by 59-year-old Glynn Carter, was prosecuted by Durham County Council after officers found repeated breaches of the conditions attached to its selective landlord licence, Landlord Zone reports. The company manages approximately 300 rental properties.Peterlee Magistrates Court heard the company had broken 13 license conditions at eight rental homes in Shotton, South Hetton, Blackhall Colliery, Peterlee and Seaham. The council said the failings had put the health and safety of tenants at risk.
alarm on property
One of the most serious cases came to light when paramedics visited a property in Peterlee. According to the court, three adults were sleeping on the floor in a house surrounded by garbage, including dead rats and mice. Paramedics described the property as covered in feces and urine with a strong smell of ammonia.Investigation found that the property had not been inspected for two years. Its gas safety certificate was also about four years old. Durham County Council told the court that the company failed to meet a number of conditions required under its selective licensing scheme.One of the license conditions requires landlords to inspect rental properties every six months. However, a tenant at a property in Shotton told council officers that there had been no inspections during the four years he had lived there.The council also found that Carter Property Services had failed to provide valid gas safety certificates for four properties. Under licensing rules, landlords must keep these certificates up to date to show that gas appliances are safe.The court heard that these failings were not limited to one property but were found across eight homes involved in the case.
£42,500 fine
Peterlee Magistrates Court found Carter Property Services guilty of 13 charges of breaching its selective licence.The company was fined £5,000 for each of the eight properties involved, bringing the total fine to £40,000. He was also ordered to pay £500 in court costs and £2,000 in victim surcharge, bringing the total fine to £42,500.Following the decision, Durham County Council said landlords have a responsibility to provide safe living conditions for tenants.Tony Hanson, the council’s corporate director of regeneration, economy and growth, said: “This is a case in which a landlord has failed in his duty to tenants by allowing them to live in poor, unsafe conditions.”“These properties are people’s homes and everyone should have access to safe, quality housing,” he said.Hanson said the case showed the council would continue to use its powers under the selective licensing scheme against landlords who failed to maintain their properties.“This case demonstrates how we will use our powers under the selective licensing scheme to deliver effective enforcement against landlords who are not maintaining their properties and putting their tenants at risk,” he said.Durham County Council is currently consulting on proposals for a new selective licensing scheme before the current one ends in March 2027.Selective licensing allows councils to license landlords in specified areas and comply with conditions with the aim of improving housing standards. These include regular property inspections, valid gas safety certificates and proper management of rented homes.
Scary rental houses in Britain
The County Durham case is another example of the poor housing conditions of landlords in England.In 2023, the Housing Ombudsman found Longhurst Group guilty of “serious mismanagement” after a disabled tenant in Lincolnshire was found living with poisonous rats rotting in the attic above his bungalow, The Guardian reported.The tenant reported that insects later fell from the kitchen ceiling, while moisture, mold and other repair problems remained unresolved for months.The UK Government estimates that 6% of social housing properties in England, approximately 240,000, have significant or serious problems with damp and mould.