Cardiff landlord fined for unsafe and unlicensed property

A Cardiff landlord has been fined after a series of serious housing safety breaches were uncovered at a property in Canton

6/5/2026

Water leaks contacting electrical equipment, inadequate fire precautions, and the unlawful creation of a residential annex were a few of the breaches discovered. 

In September 2025, Shared Regulatory Service (SRS) officers received a complaint from the occupier of the ground and first floor annex maisonette at 328 Cowbridge Road East, Canton, reporting water leaking onto the electrical consumer unit.

The Victorian terraced property comprises a vacant ground floor commercial unit, a first floor flat, and the annex maisonette.Checks confirmed that the annex had been created without planning permission and had not been subject to Building Control oversight. The leaseholder, Mr Small, was also found not to be registered or licensed with Rent Smart Wales, as required under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.

Inspections carried out in October 2025 identified multiple serious hazards, including:

• No adequate fire alarm system
• Flat entrance doors that were not compliant fire doors
• Lack of fixed heating systems
• Partitions that failed to provide required fire resistance
• A bedroom in the maisonette configured as an inner room with no safe escape route
• Trip and fall hazards
• An overgrown rear garden with accumulations likely to attract rodents

Officers concluded that Mr Small had failed to comply with the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Additional Provisions) (Wales) Regulations 2007) and that the property presented imminent and serious risks to the occupiers.A requisition for information was served on Mr Small on 6 October 2025 under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, requiring details of all persons involved with the property.

He failed to comply with this statutory notice.Due to the severity of the hazards, an Emergency Prohibition Order was made in respect of the annex maisonette, preventing its occupation until essential safety works were completed. The Order came into immediate effect. A prosecution case was subsequently prepared for 19 offences under the Housing Act 2004, the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

The case was heard at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on 1 May 2026, where Mr Small attended and pleaded guilty to all 19 charges.

Magistrates imposed:

• A £369 fine
• £464 towards Cardiff Council’s costs
• A £148 victim surcharge

Christina Hill, Head of Shared Regulatory Services, said:

“The case demonstrates the importance of proper licensing, safe property management, and early engagement with enforcement officers. Where landlords fail to meet their legal responsibilities, formal action will be taken to protect tenants and the wider community.”