'Infamous' landlord fined as rodents infest flats with no electricity (original) (raw)

An "infamous" Cardiff landlord has been ordered to pay almost £40,000 for his latest criminal offences. Nazir Ahmed ignored council orders to deal with a rodent infestation and fire hazards in an Adamsdown block of flats.

Ahmed, whose housing offences stretch back to the 1990s, was back in Cardiff Magistrates' Court last week over a range of defects at 34 Broadway, an end-of-terrace two-storey Victorian property which had been sub-divided into four studio flats. "The conversion into flats was undertaken without planning permission or the involvement of building control," said a Cardiff Council spokesman.

Last April police raised concerns with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service over the condition of the building. The fire alarm was not working and there were flammable materials in the escape route. The fire services contacted the council's housing enforcement service, which inspected the property. "Once inside we discovered that the electricity supply to the entire building had been disconnected by the electricity supplier due to attempts to bypass the meters," said the council spokesman.

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After a tenant tried to bypass the meters and the provider shut off power, the building had no working fire alarm and none of the flats had any heating or electricity for lighting, refrigeration or cooking. Ahmed did not deal with these issues. There was a large hole in the front door, damaged plastic sheeting on a hall wall, a smoke detector with the dust cover still on it, exposed live wiring, an electricity meter cupboard without fire protection, and defective fire doors. A lock had been removed from the front door to one of the first-floor flats. And a flammable mattress had been left in the ground floor hallway, blocking the fire escape route.

There was an infestation of rodents suspected to be rats and a council spokesman described the kitchen facilities as "unacceptable and unsafe". Following its inspections the council served emergency prohibition orders meaning all tenants had to move out immediately. The council ordered Ahmed to provide fire safety documents and information on those with an interest in the property but he failed to comply. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Defects in the Broadway building owned by Nazir Ahmed

Defects in the Broadway building owned by Nazir Ahmed (Image: Cardiff Council)

Ahmed, of Albany Road in Plasnewydd, failed to attend court last Thursday. He was found guilty of breaching Houses in Multiple Occupation regulations and breaching two notices. The landlord was fined £37,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and the council’s prosecution costs of £461.84. The prohibition orders remain in place and Ahmed is not allowed to rent out the flats until the problems have been addressed.

As long ago as 2004 we reported that Ahmed had 21 housing offences on his record, dating back to 1999. At the time of that report he had most recently been fined £7,000 in his absence from court after house mismanagement and withholding information to do with properties he owned in Broadway, Albany Road and Penarth Road. A council spokeswoman said at the time: "The infamous landlord has repeatedly put tenants' lives at risk, ignoring the advice and warnings of council officials, who have inspected his houses and determined them to be unsafe."

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