A rogue landlord from Hayes has been ordered to pay over £15,000 after illegally altering buildings he rented out as houses of multiple occupancy.
Tarsem Dhillon, from Hayes, admitted three charges of failing to comply with an enforcement notice when he appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on March 7, 2023.
The court was told that 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 been modified with 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 council issued enforcement notices on 9 March 2021, seeking the cessation of use as an 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. Follow-up inspections from the council on February 1, 2023, revealed none of the three notices had been complied with.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, praised the result and the work of the council’s 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,” he said.
“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.
