Landlord fined £32,000 after ‘hazardous’ condition of properties put tenants’ lives at risk

A landlord who let tenants live in properties riddled with hazardous electrics, unsafe boilers, mould and no smoke alarms has been told to pay £32,000 in fines and court costs.

Telford Magistrates’ Court heard the condition of flats and caravans at The Oakery in Ashford Carbonell, near Ludlow, meant there was a potential risk to life, with problems also identified with heating, drainage and clean water supplies.

Thomas Edward Evans, 84, did not appear at court to answer seven charges of failing to comply with a housing prohibition order, which were proven in his absence.

The case, brought by Shropshire Council, concerned the main house which had been converted into six flats, and a traveller site that had been created on adjacent land – both of which were done without planning permission. Evans himself also lives in a separate property on the site.

Council prosecutor Mike Davies told the court that the authority had not known about the planning breaches until it was too late to take enforcement action.

Housing officers visited the site following a complaint about a faulty boiler in 2017, and were so concerned by what they found that they inspected all the properties, accompanied by gas engineers and electricians.

They identified a series of ‘category one’ hazards which are deemed potentially life-threatening, as well as others in ‘category two’.

Mr Davies said Evans was issued with an improvement notice ordering that works be carried out to get the homes into a safe condition.

Officers subsequently visited the site several times but, “no progress was made by the owner to undertake any of the necessary work,” Mr Davies said.

This continued until February 2020 when a new improvement notice was served, but then the onset of the Covid pandemic meant it was difficult to get contractors to visit the site, Mr Davies said.

The council was notified in October 2020 that Evans had addressed the ‘category one’ electrical hazards, but, Mr Davies said, “it didn’t move any further than that”.

A visit in 2021 confirmed many of the hazards still remained, including log burners in the traveller units that had been deemed unsafe four years previously.

In November 2022, a further inspection was carried out.

Mr Davies said: “The condition on-site had deteriorated since the notices were served.

“The hazards presented serious risk to health and safety of occupants, and prohibition notices were issued in December 2022 in respect of every flat and plot.”

Mr Davies said the council had made every effort to avoid this step, as it would render the residents homeless, but felt it had no choice.

However when housing officers visited again on March 1 this year, it was apparent that two of the flats and five of the traveller plots were still occupied.

The magistrates ordered that Evans pay a £3,500 fine for each of the seven breaches, plus the council’s costs of £5,507.83 and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

He will also face ongoing fines of £20 per day, per property, if they are occupied from today onwards.