In the case of the Coventry landlords, their property was found to have deteriorated over a number of years to the point that it was unfit to live in. There was no heating or hot water and gas and electrical safety tests hadn't been carried out.

The kitchen and bathroom were in "significant disrepair" and the tenant effectively lived in one room on the ground floor as the upper floor was too unsafe. The condition of the property was so bad that in order for extensive repair works to be carried out the tenant had to be evicted. Cllr. David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, is reported in the Coventry Telegraph as saying that the case highlighted the "important work [carried out] by the council's housing enforcement team and environmental officers ....".

Meanwhile, a Cardiff landlord who was found guilty, in October last year, of 18 housing offences which came to light after his tenants complained to the council has now been sentenced to pay a fine of £23,750, costs of £450 and a victim surcharge of £1,200.

The poor conditions in the property included, amongst other breaches, a defective fire alarm system, unsafe electrical installations, a lack of secure stair handrails, unsafe guarding to landings, damaged kitchen work surfaces and an unsafe kitchen layout. The council itself also had to install a new boiler as the landlord had failed to comply with an instruction to fix or replace the existing one within 8 days. Cllr. Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing said "As a landlord you have responsibilities to ensure that the properties rented out are safe for people to live in. This one clearly wasn't ....".

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