A landlord from Dartmouth has been handed a £3,464 court bill after her tenant was left living in a mould-ridden home, 220 miles away in Stone, Staffordshire.

The court heard that Janice Pope failed to tackle damp and mould, repair a defective boiler, sort out inadequate ventilation, or fix a blocked drain and loose paving slabs at the semi-detached property in the Walton area.

The tenant, a mother-of-two, complained to Stafford Borough Council about the state of the house, but Pope blamed the tenant for the disrepair and failed to appear at Cannock Magistrates Court.

eight offences

She was subsequently convicted of eight offences of failing to comply with abatement notices served by the council last year under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Housing Act 2004.

The council has now helped re-home the mother and her teenage daughters from the property and will apply for Pope to be placed on the Rogue Landlords Database.

Councillor Ian Fordham (pictured), Cabinet Member for Environment at the Borough Council, says: “We work closely with landlords offering plenty of advice and support to ensure their tenants, who are our residents, have a home that is safe to live in.

Taking legal action is always a last resort – but the safety of our residents is one of the council’s top priorities.”

“It is vital for the borough that we have a good standard of housing stock for people to rent and it is reassuring to know that the vast majority of our landlords take their responsibilities seriously when it comes to providing this.

“Taking legal action is always a last resort – but the safety of our residents is one of the council’s top priorities and we will not turn a blind eye to those who fail to do what is necessary to keep their tenants safe.”

Fordham adds: “I would encourage any tenant who is worried about the state of their property, and unable to get their landlord to do the repairs, to contact us.”