landlord must pay £28,500 after the mother of a newborn baby and child with disabilities were living in a property blighted with damp and mould, no heating or hot water, and electrical issues. 

A vulnerable household informed the local Durham council that it had no heating due to a broken boiler.

The owner – Kristoffer Jon Dalziel of Chester-le-Street – agreed to carry out repairs. But after a council inspection, serious problems were found. 

The council says: “Further serious welfare concerns were raised within the household following the hospitalisation of the tenant’s disabled child. We were then told works were due to start in January 2026 and it helped the tenant prepare the property for these to take place.”

The authority continues: “Following this inspection and survey in February 2026, we found no repairs had taken place and that there were multiple hazards still evident at the property, including excess cold, damp and mould, carbon monoxide, and electrical issues.”

Dalziel was served with a Section 11 and Section 12 Housing Act 2004 Improvement Notice, which listed the hazards found in the building and provided the remedial actions which would remove these hazards. 

The works to fix the heating were to be completed towards the end of March 2026, and all other remaining works were to be completed by April this year.  

After an inspection in late March, works had still not been completed and there was no contact from Dalziel.

The council says: “During interview, he accepted that he had been given an opportunity to fix the problems before formal enforcement action was taken. He also admitted that he had not personally attended the property after becoming landlord, other than when he viewed it before purchase.”

Dalziel had also failed to obtain a selective licence for the property, along with two other properties.

He was found guilty and a court imposed a £7,000 penalty for each of the three properties and £5,000 for the improvement notice breach.  

He was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay £500 in costs and £2,000 as a victim surcharge.