Kristoffer Jon Dalziel, 34, has been ordered to pay £28,500 after failing to address serious hazards at a rental property in Annfield Plain, County Durham. The property was occupied by a mother with a newborn baby and a disabled child.
Durham County Council first contacted Dalziel in December 2025 after concerns were raised about conditions at the property. Inspectors identified a broken boiler, leaving the family without heating or hot water, along with damp, mould, electrical problems, and carbon monoxide hazards.
Despite repeated warnings and assurances that repairs would begin, no work had taken place by February 2026. Dalziel admitted in an interview that he had never visited the property since becoming its landlord, apart from viewing it before purchase.
Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that Dalziel was fined £7,000 for each of the three unlicensed properties and a further £5,000 for breaching an improvement notice. The total fines amounted to £26,000, with an additional £500 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £28,500.