A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 after illegally altering buildings he rented out as houses of multiple occupancy in Hayes.
Tarsem Dhillon, of Dawley Road, Hayes, admitted three charges of failing to comply with an enforcement notice when he appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 7 March 2023.
The court was told how Hillingdon Council’s planning officers had visited 11 and 15a Station Road in March 2021 after being notified that a storage building, 15b, at the back of the properties had been altered illegally and was also being used as a house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
The first floor of the building had two shower rooms, a kitchen and toilet and an external door had been built and metal railings installed onto the roof of the extended first floor of the building to create an amenity space for residents, but without planning permission.
At 11 and 11a Station Road, inspectors found a single-storey side extension had been built, also without planning permission.
The court heard the council issued enforcement notices on 9 March 2021, seeking the cessation of use as HMO at 15b, along with the removal of the door and railings. An additional enforcement notice was issued for 11 and 11a ordering the removal of the extension.
The notices came into effect on 20 April 2021 and required compliance by 20 July the same year. The court was told follow-up inspections from the council on 1 February this year (2023) revealed none of the three notices had been complied with.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s cabinet member for residents’ services, commented: “This is another brilliant result reflecting the hard work of our planning enforcement team.
“We’re determined to create safe, strong communities where residents can live a high quality of life and we’ll take all action necessary to tackle rogue landlords who flout the rules.
“Any residents who suspect a property of being used illegally can anonymously let our planning enforcement team know and they will investigate.”
Dhillon was fined £12,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and the council’s court costs of £1,660.
One success out of numerous breaches. If the council put a drone up over Hillingdon and Hounslow in particular, it will see just how many properties have structures in the gardens used for accommodation. These landlords know they’re breaking UK law, but do not see anything wrong with how they treat tenants. It’s a ‘community’ problem, which council officers don’t want to admit, when so many councillors in those areas are from the same community.
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No need for a drone just look at Google maps. Southall is the same. In a lot of cases these “landlords” are exploiting their poorer fellow countrymen who cannot afford regular rents some of whom also must have doubtful immigration status. The Councils cannot rely on these tenants coming forward, the “landlord” has too much sway over them. Councils are afraid to act because if they carried out raids it would uncover a can of worms and result in hundreds of tenants requiring emergency accommodation that the Council doesn’t have and a real headache for the immigration people. All that and maybe accusations of being racist as well. Councils might pick on the odd one to try to discourage the others but it won’t work. This guy has probably made way more than the £15,000 fine already it‘s just an occupational hazard for him.
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