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Landlord fined over 'mouldy and hazardous' Dudley home

A landlord who failed to make safety improvements to a property he rented out to a family has been fined in court.

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Electrical hazards, an unsafe outbuilding, a dilapidated external staircase, as well as damp and mould were found at the house owned by Balraj Singh Timana, from Claregate in Wolverhampton.

He had been issued with an improvement notice on June 12, 2014 and given 12 weeks to comply. But he did not carry any of the work needed at the three-bedroomed house in central Dudley.

Timana pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an improvement notice and was fined £4750 at Dudley Magistrates on July 9.

He was also ordered to pay council costs of £1492.50, along with a victim surcharge of £120.

Councillor Gaye Partridge, cabinet member for housing, said:"This was a particularly worrying case as there were children living in the premises and the landlord had done nothing at all to comply with the notice.

"The staff in private sector housing work extremely hard to ensure the health and welfare of borough tenants which is shown in their vigilance in getting another case to a successful outcome.

"It is the second case in as many months and highlights our commitment to making sure that landlords who fail to keep their properties up to a safe standard will be prosecuted."

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