County Durham landlord Glyn Carter, who owns Carter Property Services in Sedgefield and manages 300 properties, has been fined over £42,000 after tenants were discovered sleeping on the floor surrounded by waste including dead rats and mice. Durham County Council took legal action following multiple reports that the company was not complying with the Selective Licence, which requires landlords to maintain private rental properties to a safe standard.
Court details 13 licence breaches across eight properties
At Peterlee Magistrates Court, it was established that 13 conditions of the licence had been breached across eight properties in Shotton, South Hetton, Blackhall Colliery, Peterlee, and Seaham. One property in Shotton had not been inspected in four years, despite a legal requirement to carry out inspections every six months.
Paramedics called to a home in Peterlee found three adults sleeping on the floor, surrounded by waste that included dead rats and mice. They described the house as being 'caked in faeces and urine, with a strong smell of ammonia.'
Gas safety certificate nearly four years overdue
Further investigations revealed that the Peterlee property had not been inspected in two years, and its gas safety certificate was almost four years overdue. Carter Property Services was found guilty of all 13 breaches of the licence. The court imposed a £5,000 penalty for each property, plus £500 costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £42,500.
Tony Hanson of Durham County Council 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 that the case demonstrates how the council will use its powers under the Selective Licensing scheme to take effective enforcement against landlords who are not maintaining their properties and putting tenants at risk.
