A landlord has been fined more than £15,000 for illegally altering properties he rented out as houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) in Hayes.
Tarsem Dhillon admitted three charges of failing to comply with an enforcement notice at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 7 March and was fined £12,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and Hillingdon Council’s court costs of £1,660.
Hillingdon’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Eddie Lavery said: “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.”
Hillingdon Council’s planning officers were originally notified in March 2021 that a storage building at 15b, at the back of properties 11 and 15a Station Road, had been altered illegally and was being used as HMO.
Despite not having planning permission, the first floor of the building had two shower rooms, a kitchen and toilet, an external door had been built and metal railings had been installed onto the roof of the extended first floor to create space for residents.
At 11 and 11a Station Road, inspectors also found a single-storey side extension had been built without permission.
The council issued enforcement notices on 9 March 2021, seeking to end 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, according to Hillingdon Council.
The notices came into effect on 20 April 2021 and required compliance by 20 July the same year, but follow-up inspections from the council on 1 February this year revealed none of the three notices had been complied with.
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