A Cardiff landlord and a letting agent have been ordered to pay a combined total of £41,400 for failing to comply with housing regulations at a property that was rented out in Riverside, Cardiff.
District Judge Rhys Williams heard the case against Mohammed Ahad Ali, the freeholder of 85 Tudor Street, and Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd, the appointed agent on 2 at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.
The case came to light when a complaint was received that cockroaches had infested the property. The property, a three-storey Victorian building with flats above a commercial unit, was found to have multiple hazards during an inspection in March 2024. These included:
- A defective fire alarm and incomplete fire doors
- Unsafe escape routes and inadequate kitchen facilities
- Penetrating damp, defective windows, and poor electrical installations
- Unprotected gas and electricity meters
Mr Ali pleaded guilty to six offences and was fined £5,400, ordered to pay £750 in costs, and a £2,000 victim surcharge. Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd, which failed to attend court, was convicted of 12 offences and fined £36,000, with £3,000 costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
The court was told that alternative agents have since been appointed and all necessary works are now complete. Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd had previously been prosecuted in March 2025 for similar offences at another property in Cardiff and was fined £27,000.
Councillor Lynda Thorne, cabinet member for housing and communities at Cardiff Council said: “We take housing safety very seriously and act on any intelligence received from tenants or the public on irresponsible landlords and agents who fail to meet legal standards.
“The majority of private sector landlords in Cardiff provide a good service to their tenants, but those that don’t will face disciplinary action through the courts. This property was in a very bad state of repair, with a cockroach infestation, penetrating damp throughout, and defective fire alarms. These matters cause a danger to tenants and thankfully, all the defects have now been rectified, so that the tenants living in this property can now enjoy a better quality of life in their home.”
The offences by Mohammed Ahad Ali, and Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd related to breaches of the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Additional Provisions) (Wales) Regulations 2007.
