£22,000 bill for flat in 'Dickensian' condition

Two landlords have been left with a court bill totalling £22,608 after allowing a Black Country flat to fall into disrepair so bad it was described as in "Dickensian condition".

Mr Harbinder Singh Athwal and Mrs Gurbaxo Kaur were found guilty of failing to comply with an improvement notice served by Sandwell Council on a flat in Walsall Road, West Bromwich.

They had denied the charges. The authority brought the case after finding the roof was leaking, electrics were dangerous and there was no fixed heating system.

Other rooms were damp and affected by mould.

Both Mr Athwal, of St Ives Road, Walsall, and Mrs Kaur, of Wakes Road, Wednesbury, were fined £3,000 and ordered to pay the tenant £4,000 in compensation.

The council was also awarded its prosecution costs of £8,608 in full.

Sandwell Magistrates Court heard the landlords had not responded to attempts to resolve the issues by negotiation.

This led to the council serving an improvement notice on Mr Athwal and Mrs Kaur in November 2009, ordering them to improve the flat. No improvements were carried out.

District Judge Wilkinson criticised the defendants for allowing people to live in "Dickensian conditions".

He meanwhile praised the tenant for his dignity in the face of such conditions.

The repair work must now be done promptly and properly, Judge Wilkinson spelt out, or he said he expected the council to bring the landlords back to court.

Councillor Simon Hackett, the authority's cabinet member for housing, said: "We will not tolerate bad landlords in Sandwell. This is an example of action we will take against any landlords who cause misery in the lives of their tenants by failing in their duties."

Kerry Bolister, Sandwell Council's area director for homes and communities, added: "Landlords have a duty to keep their properties in a good state of repair and this case demonstrates that we will take action when this responsibility is not met."