An unscrupulous landlord has been fined for breaching planning rules at two properties on Maude Road in Camberwell, south east London.

Mawan Musa, 63, and of Maude Road, Camberwell, submitted a guilty plea last week in response to Southwark Council’s prosecution and was sentenced to pay £42,637.20 in illegal gains and a further £10,000 in fines and costs; at the Inner London Crown Court.

Musa squashed three tiny flats into the basement of one of his properties, so he could collect rent from three households, instead of one. The dodgy landlord also added a haphazard and sub-standard rear window extension, on the roof of another property. Neither of these developments had any planning permission.

Southwark Council’s planning enforcement team led the prosecution, when the illegal and sub-standard developments were not removed. The Court agreed that Musa had illegally gained £42,637.20 in rent, after reviewing financial investigations carried out by the council’s trading standards team.

Cllr James McAsh, cabinet member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, said: “Everyone deserves a good quality place to live. Planning rules and space standards make sure that new developments are good quality and a decent size.

“This was a shameless attempt to shoehorn three tiny flats into one basement, along with an illegal roof extension. This outcome serves as a warning that we will not tolerate planning breaches. It also supports us in cracking down on those who try to benefit from renting illegal and sub-standard properties in Southwark.”

The development is now in compliance with planning permission.