A landlord has been fined for renting out dangerous flats, despite already being served emergency prohibition orders, reports the North Wales Daily Post.
Mark Thorogood, the landlord in question, rented out flats that had been subject to two separate emergency prohibition orders due to the squalid and dangerous conditions of the property in which they were located. The flats were found to have broken lights and fire alarms, potentially harmful electrical wiring and inadequate heating systems throughout, as well as a range of other less serious problems.
The flats were also considered unfit for human habitation due to the dirty bathrooms, bedrooms and abundance of drug paraphernalia found at the property on Maelgwyn Road in Llandudno. Other properties, which the North Wales Daily Post referred to as "slums" had previously been taken out of service by the fire brigade.
All landlords have a duty to provide adequate standards of accommodation to their tenants. As part of this duty, landlord’s insurance is a requirement of all rented apartments or houses.
Landlord’s insurance will also cover a wide range of additional circumstances, including property owners’ liability, damage to property and subsistence.
Mr Thorogood, who had previously been fined £100,000 for mortgage fraud and forced to pay back £48,000 in misappropriated housing benefits, appeared before Llandudno Magistrates’ Court in late May 2016. He was found guilty of defying the prohibition orders and fined a total of £5,517.
After sentencing in Llandudno, Conwy County Council Councillor Philip Evans said: “It’s a Council priority that people in Conwy should be able to live in safe and appropriate housing. This robust action sends a message to landlords that unsatisfactory conditions will not be tolerated.”
