‘Appalling’ landlord left flat with hole in front door and black mould

Wajid Mahmood, aged 41, ignored ‘repeated requests’ to carry out improvements to the Clitheroe flat, according to Ribble Valley Borough Council.

The council says Mahmood, who is of Holden Street in the town, joint-owned the property with another man, but only Mahmood was convicted for the offence.

He appeared at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court on July 15 this year, charged with failing to comply with a housing improvement notice.

Court records show that on December 23, 2024, he ‘failed to comply’ with the improvement notice relating to a ‘category one hazard’ under Section 11 of the Housing Act 2004.

Mahmood pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £2,025, ordered to pay an £810 victim surcharge and a £2,756.54 collection order, totalling £5,591.54.

Hazards in homes are checked by councils if their occupants think they are unsafe, no matter whether they are privately rented, council or social housing or owner-occupied.

The hazards are then categorised. Category one hazards are more serious and action must be taken, while it is optional to take action on category two hazards.

In a report prepared about this case, the council said: “The poor state of the property and the tenant’s long-running fight to try to get issues with the property sorted out had a serious impact on his mental health, as he was unable to wash himself properly due to a lack of hot running water.”

They added the tenant reported to the council that the front door did not lock and the shower only ran cold, with the property owners being contacted and asked to make repairs.

After further reports from the tenant, environmental health staff visited and found ‘serious hazards’, including ‘significant damp and mould growth, a defective boiler, faulty electrics and no hot running water’.

The improvement notice was then issued to the landlords before another tenant moved in and complained about the issues, with council environmental health officers finding the majority of the repairs listed in the notice had ‘not been carried out’.

In mitigation, the court heard Mahmood pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had been of good character, as well as ‘accepting mistakes had been made’ but a close family member had ‘serious health issues’ which required his time and attention.

Councillors at Ribble Valley’s health and housing meeting on October 29 discussed the prosecution.

A council officer said: “Council officers within the borough, we cover a broad range of functions. Somebody has taken the mick in terms of treating tenants in such a fashion, and we’re duty-bound to investigate.

“We aren’t toothless, we will take action if those breaches are identified, and this is a prime case of us doing that.”

Acting chair, Councillor Louise Edge, described the case as ‘pretty appalling’.

She added: “I think everybody supports your action on that and would be very satisfied that you are capable of doing it.”

Councillor Rosemary Elms of Bowland ward, Conservative, said she was ‘glad’ it had been caught up with as ‘there will be a lot of houses like that’.

Councillor Malcolm Peplow of East Whalley, Read and Simonstone, Green, thanked officers for their action, adding: “Let’s make no mistake, damp and mould growth can cause serious health issues, and in some cases can be killers.

“I think that landlords really do deserve all that comes to them if they allow these kinds of conditions to prevail.

“Anybody renting housing has to have a reasonable expectation that that property is going to be fit and healthy to live in.”