A landlord has been fined £26,000 after he left the mother of a newborn baby and child with disabilities living in a property blighted with damp and mould and without heating or hot water for months.

After the tenant complained to Durham County Council, Kristoffer Jon Dalziel, the sole director of Dalziel Ventures Ltd in Chester-le-Street, agreed to carry out repairs. Following an inspection in December 2025, officers told him to make several improvements to the property in Annfield Plain within a month.

However, an email from Dalziel advised that his contractor was not willing to proceed due to issues at the property. The council tried to facilitate works, while further serious welfare concerns were raised after the tenant’s disabled child was hospitalised. The council was told works were due to start in January 2026 and it helped the tenant prepare the property.

Hazards

A follow-up inspection in February 2026 revealed that no repairs had taken place and that there were still multiple hazards, including excess cold, damp and mould, carbon monoxide, and electrical issues. Dalziel was served with an improvement notice, advising him to fix the heating by March 2026 and all other remaining works by April.  

The landlord told the council that the tenant was moving out but, after an inspection in late March, works had still not been completed. He later admitted that he had not visited the property after becoming the landlord, other than viewing it before purchase. Dalziel had also failed to get a selective licence for the property, along with two other properties in Stanley.

Court

Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that the repairs were not carried out, with claims the tenant had refused to allow entry, which they denied. Dalziel was found guilty and fined £7,000 for each of the three properties and £5,000 for the improvement notice breach. He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

Ted Murphy, building safety and standards manager, says the lack of action was shocking. “This case and conviction demonstrate the continuing need to regulate the sector, and selective licensing can be an effective tool to improve standards,” he adds. “It also allows us to take effective enforcement against landlords that are non-compliant or criminal and put tenants at risk.”

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