A Cardiff landlord has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 after continuing to rent out flats with inadequate fire alarms, damp, trip hazards and no control over heating for tenants in one of the flats.
Said Moussef, 67, the freeholder and landlord of 105 Kings Road, Riverside, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on October 9 where he pleaded guilty to six charges.
Prohibition orders breached
Moussef pleaded guilty to allowing flats in the building to be occupied which were prohibited from being used as residential accommodation, failing to register a rented property, and managing it without the required licence under Rent Smart Wales requirements.
Following a complaint received in March, an inspection found that the first and second-floor flats were occupied despite being subject of prohibition orders. Moussef had not completed the necessary work and told officers under caution that he had re-let the flats in October and November 2025.
Hazards identified
A number of hazards were identified at the property including an inadequate fire alarm system, incomplete or defective fire doors, damp, trip and fall hazards, and concerns about the layout of the second-floor flat.
Tenants in the first-floor flat also had no control over their heating because it was supplied by a boiler located in the ground-floor flat which they had no access to.
The charges included offences under sections four and seven of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 for failing to register the rented property and failing to hold the required licence to manage it. Checks with Rent Smart Wales confirmed that the flats at the property were not registered and that Moussef was not licensed to manage them.
Penalty and next steps
Moussef was ordered to pay more than £3,500 in total. He was fined £1,520 for the Rent Smart Wales offences, £476 for offences relating to breaches of two prohibition orders and was ordered to pay Cardiff council's costs of £750 and a victim surcharge of £763.
Cabinet member for housing and communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "Landlords have clear legal responsibilities when renting out property in Cardiff, including ensuring they meet the registration and licensing requirements of Rent Smart Wales.
"These requirements are in place for an important reason. They help support proper standards in the private rented sector and provide greater protection for tenants.
"In this case, the property was not registered, and the landlord was not licensed to manage it. Flats had also been re-let despite Prohibition Orders remaining in place. While private sector landlords make an invaluable contribution to Cardiff’s housing stock, the council will act where landlords fail to meet their legal responsibilities and put tenants at risk."
Details of this prosecution have been sent to Rent Smart Wales who will now consider whether Mr Moussef remains a fit and proper person to be licensed to manage his portfolio of privately rented accommodation in Cardiff.
