Landlord fined £15k for failing to improve Horden homes

Sukhraj Singh Barham also failed to apply for a selective licence from Durham County Council in respect of each of the two properties at Horden, despite being required to do so by law, and now finds himself with four criminal convictions as a result.

The case represents the authority’s first prosecution under selective licensing, which was brought in to improve conditions in the private rented sector.

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Lynn Hall, the council’s strategic housing manager, said: “We are really pleased at the high financial penalty imposed in this case which represents our first selective licensing prosecution.

“We know the vast majority of landlords in County Durham look after their properties and their tenants but selective licensing is there for the minority that don’t.

“That clearly includes Mr Barham whose properties were in really poor condition, one to the point where we took emergency action ourselves out of concern for the health of the tenant.

“He failed to respond to legal orders to carry out work or to get a licence in respect of either property and we hope the sentence imposed will act as a reminder to both him and other landlords of the consequences of not doing so.”

The council prosecuted Barham, 35, whose company Front Worth Limited is based at Pinfold Street, Birmingham, bringing four charges under the Housing Act.

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The authority outlined to Peterlee magistrates how it was made aware of concerns for the welfare of the tenant of a property on Seventh Street in Horden, in November 2022.

The tenant told the council his rented property had been sold two weeks prior and he had no contact details for it and had heard nothing from his new landlord.

Amid concern over the condition of the property, an inspection was carried out by council officers.

The property was found to be in a state of disrepair, with no heating or hot water due to the boiler becoming unserviceable, and there were also issues relating to damp and mould and a partial ceiling collapse in a bedroom.

Furthermore, the staircase bannister was too low, the toilet cistern was cracked and broken, and there was a lack of carbon monoxide and smoke alarms within the property.

The council carried out enquiries to trace the new landlord which ultimately led them to Front Worth Limited and its sole director Barham.

Amid concerns over the impact on the tenants’ health, the council carried out emergency repairs to get the boiler working, on 17 November.

A further inspection of the property showed none of the issues detected on 15 November had been addressed, with hazards found relating to fire and uncombusted fuel gas.

As a result, an improvement notice was served on Barham setting out works he must do and a timeframe for doing them.

The court heard no response was received to the notice.

Magistrates were told how similarly, the council was contacted by the tenant of a property in Tenth Street in Horden in April of this year. Again the property had been sold while he was living there and he had no information about his new landlord.

The property was in a state of disrepair, with the tenant having issues relating to a large damp area on the kitchen wall underneath the bathroom.

The council again made enquiries which led them to Barham and again an improvement notice was served on the defendant but not acted upon.

The damp and mould remains and the council is in the process of obtaining quotes for the work.

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Magistrates were also told that both properties are in an area of Horden covered by the council’s selective licensing policy. This was brought in by the authority to regulate private landlords with the desired outcome that properties will be maintained providing tenants with a better standard of living conditions.

As such licences should have been in place for both and the court was told Barham was written to about each property and reminded of this. However, applications for licences were not received for either property.

Barham was not in court and was found guilty of all four charges in absence.

He was fined a total of £12,600, ordered to pay costs of £1,343.69 and a victim surcharge of £2,000 – a total of £15,743.69.