Property developer ordered to pay over £200,000 for illegal flat conversion in Haringey

Sunday, March 24th, 2024 - Haringey Council

A property developer and landlord who illegally converted a Bounds Green property into six flats has been ordered to pay more than £220,000 after Haringey Council successfully prosecuted the company.

A previous unlawful change of use into five flats led to Pathfield Estates Ltd being ordered to return the property in Bounds Green to its original condition by a 2008 planning enforcement notice.

A further investigation launched in 2020 found a new six-flat conversion, in breach of the 2008 enforcement notice led to the company being convicted at Highbury Magistrates Court in 2021. 

The magistrates referred the case to the Crown Court for sentencing and the start of confiscation proceedings brought by the council under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).    

Pathfield lodged two appeals against the conviction – firstly to the Crown Court and then to the High Court. Both appeals were dismissed and the company was ordered to pay the council’s costs of £11,100.

At a sentencing hearing last month, the company was ordered to pay £226,433.18 comprising a £50,000 fine for not complying with the enforcement notice, a POCA confiscation order of £163,258 to reflect its financial benefit from breaching the enforcement notice, and a further £13,175.18 in costs.

Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning, Cllr Sarah Williams, said: 

“This conviction serves as a warning to disreputable landlords operating in our borough.

“Our residents deserve to live in safe, high-quality homes and we will not hesitate to take strong action if landlords flout planning laws or leave tenants to languish in poor conditions.“I want to thank our planning enforcement team who worked tirelessly to get this result.”

Our free guide containing more information about property licensing and HMO planning restrictions in the London Borough of Haringey is available here.

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