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Colindale ‘bed in shed’ landlord ordered to pay £173,141 for breach of planning enforcement notice
A man who illegally housed tenants inside his converted garage has been ordered to pay £173,141 by a court.
Amir Golesorkhi turned his garage into two small, substandard flats and had been renting them out to tenants for seven years while he was living in the main house with his wife in Ridge Close, Colindale.
Harrow Crown Court found Mr Golesorkhi guilty of breaching a planning enforcement notice served by Brent Council in April 2008. In spite of the notice, Mr Golesorkhi continued to house tenants inside the poor quality flats up until late 2016. He was fined £12,000 on Friday 28 July and ordered to pay £161,141 in confiscation proceedings.
Planning enforcement and Trading Standards officers from Brent Council described the flats as “not particularly nice places to live, especially as access was down a narrow, overshadowed alley via a side door”.
The confiscation order was given under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the money that Mr Golesorkhi made renting out the flats in breach on the council’s enforcement notice.
Cllr Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, Brent Council said:
“This is a victory for Brent residents. Housing tenants in poor conditions is unacceptable and rogue landlords will pay heavily out of their pockets if they do so. Brent Council is committed to protecting renters from landlords who exploit people in the private rented sector for a quick buck. Overcrowding, poor safety in the home, micro flats and unlicensed properties are issues that we take very seriously.“
For more information on housing regulation in Brent, visit www.londonpropertylicensing.co.uk/brent.
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