A landlord has been ordered to pay £28,500 after failing to address serious hazards at a rental property occupied by a mother with a newborn baby and a disabled child.
Kristoffer Jon Dalziel, 34, failed to carry out essential repairs at the property in Annfield Plain, County Durham, despite repeated warnings from the council. The family faced a broken boiler, leaving them without heating or hot water. Inspectors also identified damp, mould, electrical problems and carbon monoxide hazards.
Council warnings and missed deadlines
Durham County Council first contacted Dalziel in December 2025 after concerns were raised about conditions at the property. Dalziel, the sole director of Dalziel Ventures Ltd, based in Chester-le-Street, initially agreed to undertake repairs. However, following an informal inspection, the council identified numerous defects and gave him a month to address them.
Dalziel subsequently claimed his contractor was unwilling to proceed because of issues at the property. Council officers attempted to resolve access difficulties and arrange the necessary work. Further concerns emerged after the tenant’s disabled child was hospitalised.
Court proceedings and fines
Despite assurances that repairs would begin in January 2026, no work had taken place by February. A formal inspection identified several hazards, including excess cold, damp, mould, carbon monoxide risks and electrical defects. The council served improvement notices under Sections 11 and 12 of the Housing Act 2004.
Dalziel was instructed to restore heating by late March and complete the remaining repairs by April. However, a further inspection in March found the work remained outstanding. During an interview, Dalziel admitted he had never visited the property since becoming its landlord, apart from viewing it before purchase.
Licensing breaches and total penalty
Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that Dalziel claimed the tenant had refused access for repairs. The tenant denied this. The court also heard that Dalziel had failed to obtain selective licences for the Annfield Plain property and two other rental homes in Stanley. The licensing scheme had been in force since April 2022.
Dalziel was found guilty and fined £7,000 for each of the three unlicensed properties. He received a further £5,000 fine for breaching the improvement notice. The total fines amounted to £26,000. He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £28,500.
Ted Murphy, building safety and standards manager at Durham County Council, said: “The landlords lack of action in this case is shocking. This case and conviction demonstrate the continuing need to regulate the sector and selective licensing can be an effective tool to improve standards. It also allows us to take effective enforcement against landlords that are non-compliant or criminal and put tenants at risk.”
