When the couple bought this basement flat in 2019, it hadn't been lived in for several years. Ru and Holland described it as "pretty wrecked" and a "very damp and dark basement that hadn't been properly dealt with since the 1980s." "It was the cheapest place on a super nice street in Seven Dials, Brighton," Holland continues. "We lived in it, with the rats under the clattered floorboards and decaying, mouldy walls for five years until we were able to remortgage and redesign our home.
Mr Totland, who managed a property on Roundwood Road in Willesden, was prosecuted at Willesden Magistrates' Court after multiple hazards were uncovered at the address following an investigation by Brent Council officers. The investigation took place after the tenant reported a number of on-going issues at the property, including that the electric cooker and hob were not working posing a safety risk. Officers also uncovered severe damp and mould in the kitchen, as well as the missing bathroom door.