Published Thursday 16 July 2026 at 10:45
Three Blackburn landlords who left their tenants living in a home with damp, mould and no heating have been prosecuted and ordered to pay almost £2,000 each in court fines and compensation.
Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Housing Standards Team brought the action after Mohsin Bux and Moeenudin Bux, of Buncer Lane, Blackburn, and Mohammed Bux, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, ignored an Improvement Notice requiring them to take urgent action to make the property safe.
When the team inspected the property in Sandon Street, Blackburn, they found serious hazards, including:
- Damp and mould
- Excess cold due to a lack of heating
- Food safety hazards
- Electrical hazards
- Fire safety risks
- Structural collapse
At the time, the tenants were paying £900 a month for the two-bedroom property and had spent two Christmases in the cold with no heating and only intermittent warm water.
One of the female tenants was also having to sleep downstairs because of the mould.
The three landlords were convicted in their absence at Burnley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, and have each been ordered to pay £1,987.36 in fines, compensation and court costs, including:
- £660 in fines
- A £264 victim surcharge
- £313.66 in compensation to the tenant
- £750 in council costs
The landlords must also complete the works set out in the Improvement Notice issued under Sections 11 and 12 of the Housing Act and will be reported to the Rogue Landlord Database.
A spokesperson for Blackburn with Darwen Council said:
Behind this prosecution is a family who has been living in an appalling state with damp, mould, no heating, dangerous structures and more.
No family should have to live like that, and we absolutely won’t tolerate this in our borough. Our residents deserve better.
We welcome the court ruling, the fines imposed and the compensation, but what is important is that the improvement works are carried out, and we will not rest until that is done.
Our Housing Standards Team works incredibly hard, often representing some of our most vulnerable residents, and under the new Renters’ Rights Act we have stronger powers as a Council, powers that we will absolutely use.
If you or someone you know is living in an unsafe or poorly maintained rented home, please do get in touch.
On the Council’s website, you can find more information about housing conditions, damp, mould, urgent issues and more – you can access that using this link.
There’s also a full rundown of the new rules introduced as part of the Renters’ Rights Act – the most significant changes to the housing sector in more than 30 years – including guides for landlords and tenants.
To contact the Housing Standards Team directly, please call 01254 585457.