A landlord company in County Durham has been fined £42,500 after tenants were found living in unsafe conditions, including sleeping on the floor surrounded by dead rats, mice, human waste and urine.Carter Property Services, owned by 59-year-old Glyn Carter, was prosecuted by Durham County Council after officers found repeated breaches of the conditions attached to its selective landlord licence, Landlord Zone reported. The company manages around 300 rental properties.Peterlee Magistrates Court heard that the company had broken 13 licence conditions across eight rented homes in Shotton, South Hetton, Blackhall Colliery, Peterlee and Seaham. The council said the failures put tenants’ health and safety at risk.
Alarm over property
One of the most serious cases came to light after paramedics attended a property in Peterlee. According to the court, three adults were sleeping on the floor in a house surrounded by waste, including dead rats and mice. Paramedics described the property as being covered in faeces and urine, with a strong smell of ammonia.The investigation found that the property had not been inspected for two years. Its gas safety certificate was also almost four years out of date. Durham County Council told the court that the company failed to meet several conditions required under its selective licensing scheme.One of the licence conditions requires landlords to inspect rental properties every six months. However, a tenant at a property in Shotton told council officers that no inspection had taken place during the four years they had lived there.The council also found that Carter Property Services had failed to provide valid gas safety certificates for four properties. Under the licensing rules, landlords must keep these certificates up to date to show that gas appliances are safe.The court heard that these failures were not limited to one property but were found across eight homes covered by the case.
£42,500 penalty
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, taking the total fine to £40,000. It was also ordered to pay £500 in court costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total penalty to £42,500.Following the ruling, Durham County Council said landlords have a responsibility to provide safe living conditions for tenants.Tony Hanson, the council’s corporate director for regeneration, economy and growth, said, “This is a case in which a landlord has failed in its 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 added.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 within the Selective Licensing scheme to take 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 existing one expires in March 2027.Selective licensing allows councils to require landlords in designated areas to obtain a licence and follow conditions aimed at improving housing standards. These include regular property inspections, valid gas safety certificates and proper management of rented homes.
Britain’s rental horror homes
The County Durham case is another example of landlords’ poor housing conditions in England.In 2023, the Housing Ombudsman found Longhurst Group guilty of “severe maladministration” after a disabled tenant in Lincolnshire was left living with poisoned rats rotting in the attic above his bungalow, The Guardian reported.The tenant reported that maggots later fell through the kitchen ceiling while damp, mould and other repair problems remained unresolved for months.Up to 6% of social housing properties in England, about 240,000, have notable or serious damp and mould problems, the UK government estimates.
