A landlord must pay nearly £30,00 after a mother, her newborn baby and disabled child were found living in a home blighted with damp and mould, no heating or hot water, and electrical issues.
The Annfield Plain family contacted Durham County Council after a broken boiler left them without heating, alongside several other problems.
Property owner Kristoffer Jon Dalziel, 34, the sole director of Dalziel Ventures Ltd, based at Drum Industrial Estate in Chester-le-Street, agreed to carry out repairs.
Mould and damp on the ceilings of the house (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
After inspecting the property in December 2025, the council sent Dalziel a report listing the problems and ordering him to fix them within a month.
But Dalziel told the council by email that his contractor refused to carry out the work because of problems at the property.
The council emailed Dalziel, his tenant and support workers to arrange access, improve communication and help get the work under way.
A broken light switch in the property (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
They also asked Dalziel and his contractor when the work would start.
More serious welfare concerns emerged after the tenant’s disabled child was taken to hospital.
Durham County Council was told the work would start in January 2026 and helped the tenant prepare the property.
Damp and mould spots on the ceiling (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
After repeated failed promises, poor communication and no evidence that contractors had refused to attend, the council carried out a formal inspection.
A February 2026 inspection found that no repairs had been made and that the property still had hazards including excessive cold, damp and mould, carbon monoxide and electrical problems.
Dalziel was served with an improvement notice listing the hazards and the work needed to remove them, with heating repairs due by the end of March 2026 and all other work by April that year.
Damaged electrical sockets in the house (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
After warning Dalziel in early March 2026 of legal action if the work was not completed, the council was told the tenant planned to move out, but no move had been arranged.
A follow-up inspection found the work was still unfinished, and Dalziel had stopped responding.
In interview, Dalziel admitted he had been given a chance to fix the problems before enforcement action, but had not visited the property since becoming landlord apart from viewing it before buying it.
A fire/heater that didn't work (Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that the repairs were not carried out after claims the tenant had refused access, which the tenant denied.
Dalziel also failed to obtain selective licences for the property and two others in Stanley after the scheme was introduced in April 2022.
He was found guilty and fined £7,000 for each of the three licensing offences, plus £5,000 for breaching the improvement notice.
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The total fine was £26,000, plus £500 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Following sentencing, Ted Murphy, Durham County Council’s building safety and standards manager, said: “The landlord's 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”