Landlord fined over cockroach-infested Cardiff property

A landlord and letting agent have been ordered to pay thousands of pounds after a property they managed in Riverside, Cardiff, was found to be in a poor state of repair and infested with cockroaches.

The case against Mohammed Ahad Ali, freeholder of 85 Tudor Street, and Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd was heard on Tuesday, December 2 at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court. Council inspectors were initially called out to the address for a cockroach infestation but the reality was even worse.

When the inspectors visited the Riverside property in March 2024 they reported a series of hazards including a defective fire alarm and incomplete fire doors, unsafe escape routes, inadequate kitchen facilities, penetrating damp, defective windows, poor electrical installations, and unprotected gas and electricity meters.

The cockroach infestation that prompted the inspection highlighted what officers found to be longstanding problems at the address.

Both Ali and Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd were found to have breached the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations 2007, which set out the legal requirements for the management and safety of shared accommodation.

Ali pleaded guilty to six offences and was fined £5,400, ordered to pay £750 in costs, and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

Lukayan Property Rentals Ltd, which failed to attend court last week, was convicted of 12 offences and fined £36,000, with £3,000 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. The company had previously been prosecuted in March 2024 for similar offences at another property in Cardiff and was fined £27,000.

The court was told that alternative agents have since been appointed and all necessary works at the Tudor Street property are now complete.

Cllr Lynda Thorne, cabinet member for housing and communities at Cardiff Council, said: “We take housing safety very seriously and act on any intelligence received from tenants or the public on irresponsible landlords and agents who fail to meet legal standards.

“The majority of private sector landlords in Cardiff provide a good service to their tenants, but those that don’t will face disciplinary action through the courts.

“This property was in a very bad state of repair, with a cockroach infestation, penetrating damp throughout, and defective fire alarms.

“These matters cause a danger to tenants and thankfully, all the defects have now been rectified, so that the tenants living in this property can now enjoy a better quality of life in their home.”