'Appalling' - Landlord found guilty of offences after toilet waste rises into gutter of home

A judge was told issues at the properties included the door to a shared bathroom that could not be shut, a leaking roof, and a blocked drain that caused human faeces and used toilet paper to rise up into a house’s gutter.

Hasan Kazi, 76, was on trial at Bradford Magistrates Court this week after denying five charges relating to issues with three of his properties – 2 Easby Road, 12 Easby Road and 48 Ashgrove, all in Bradford.

They stem from imspections to the properties in 2024 and 2025.

The court was told Kazi, of Laisteridge Lane, had 18 properties throughout the city – with around 100 tenants living in these properties. He had been in the property business for 50 years.

Before the case, which was prosecuted by Bradford Council, began the judge granted a “bad character” request. This would allow the prosecution to present evidence of Kazi’s past.

Last year he was fined £43,000 by the courts for filthy conditions at two of his properties in Bradford. He had also been fined by the council for issues with other properties he owned.

Issues flagged during Kazi’s latest trial, which ran from Thursday to Friday, include that he failed to comply with an order to carry out a structural survey on the roof of 12 Easby Road – first issued in May 2024, and carry out associated repairs. The court was told that part of the roof structure was rotten, and the roof was leaking. When works were carried out, they were unsatisfactory, with adhesive tape used to “repair” parts of the roof.

The roof continued to leak after these repairs were carried out – including on one occasion when council officers were inspecting the house.

Fire doors in one property could not be shut, and a fridge in another was not working – with inspectors finding rotten food inside.

A leak in the ceiling of one room had led to a wet patch on the carpet. The tenant had been told to put a rug over the wet patch.

In the Ashgrove property a drain had become blocked. This caused waste from the toilet to back up, and inspectors noticed human faeces and toiler paper emerging from an outside pipe and gathering in a gutter.

The court was shown a photograph of “dark deposits of matter” the prosecution claimed was faeces.

The trial heard from a number of council workers who had visited the property, and red out grim details of the faults they found, which also included rodent and cockroach infestations.

Giving evidence, Kazi, who had no legal representation, said many of the accusations had been “exaggerated” by Bradford Council. He said the demands made by the council to put right the issues were disproportionate. He said: “Never before in 50 years have I come across demands like this.”

He said he had eventually carried out the improvements asked of him.

Nicola Hoskins, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council pointed out that there was photographic evidence of many of the issues. She said: “Photos cant be exaggerated. It is what it is.”

Cross examining Kazi, Mrs Hoskins, said: “It is too much for you to meet all your obligations. It would be hard enough for anyone, let along someone who is older.”

Kazi replied: “I’ve been doing this for a long time, that is why I’ve convinced myself what I’m doing is right. It is difficult to believe what experts are saying. There is such a thing as a second or third opinion.

“I have had people living in these places a long time, and they seem to be really happy.”

Mrs Hoskins said: “You’re not a proactive landlord, you are trying to keep costs down.”

He replied: “Who isn’t?”

Mr Hoskins said: “That’s why you take short cuts. The bottom line is you didn’t tackle any of these issues with any urgency because you’re not interested in doing things properly.”

Deputy District Judge Imran Hussain said evidence he heard from the council officers was “credible and consistent.” Addressing Kazi, he added: “I must say, I thought your evidence was vague, inconsistent at times, and at times fanciful.

“In my judgement the evidence against you is overwhelming. There was not a shred of expert evidence to support your case.”

He dismissed Kazi’s claims that many of the issues were the fault of his tenants, pointing out that he as landlord had an obligation to keep communal areas like kitchens clean and in working order.

He added: “It’s just not good enough.”

Referring to 12 Easby Road, Deputy District Judge Hussain said: “The cleanliness of the property was appalling.”

Kazi had apparently blamed the large amounts of rubbish on the properties on the council’s changing bulky waste collection policies, but Deputy District Judge Hussain said: “It is your responsibility Mr Kazi.”

He found Kazi guilty of each of the charges.

Mrs Hoskins told the court that Kazi was due to appear in court on June 19 to answer charges relating to other properties that he owns.

Judge Hussain adjourned sentencing for this case until then, adding: “You are likely to receive a significant financial penalty.”