Ealing Council has successfully cracked down on landlords in Southall and Perivale, resulting in substantial fines totaling hundreds of thousands of pounds. Two landlords faced hefty penalties due to their failure to comply with planning regulations and their disregard for instructions from the council's planning enforcement team.   

One of the cases involved Zasar Khan, residing at The Broadway in Southall, who has been instructed to pay over £125,000 for ignoring a planning enforcement notice issued for his property.   

In March 2019, a council inspection revealed that Mr. Khan, aged 49, had constructed an unauthorized rear roof extension, subsequently converting it into six self-contained flats, leading to overcrowded and substandard living conditions.  

Despite challenging the council's enforcement team order to cease using the building as flats and remove the rear roof extension, his appeal was unsuccessful.   

Subsequently, council officers obtained a warrant to access the property. In December 2021, it was discovered that the property was still being occupied in violation of the notice, resulting in a court summons. Following legal proceedings, Isleworth Crown Court ordered Mr. Khan to pay a Confiscation Order of £104,000, along with £14,000 in costs and an additional £9,000 fine.   

Unauthorised extension in a property wihtin the Ealing area (image via Ealing Council).

In Perivale, the council uncovered that Hafiz Imran, residing at Rydal Crescent, had made unauthorised additions to his home over a period of ten years. Although he appealed the decision to have his side and rear wrap-around extension removed, his appeal was dismissed.  

After this dismissal, Mr. Imran, aged 45, submitted six separate planning applications between 2011 and 2016, with two being approved and four refused. In January 2020, council officers found that the unauthorized side and rear extension were still in place. Furthermore, it was discovered that Mr. Imran had converted the side extension into a self-contained flat without obtaining the necessary planning permission.   

Consequently, he was summoned to court, and in July of this year, Isleworth Crown Court ordered Mr. Imran to pay a Confiscation Order of £100,000, along with £30,000 in costs, and a fine of £500. 

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, Ealing Council's cabinet member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, expressed satisfaction with these outcomes for the borough.  

He extended his gratitude to the enforcement team, who diligently investigated two landlords that jeopardised their tenants' well-being by failing to meet their responsibilities.  

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz said: "A big 'thank you' goes to our enforcement team, which worked tirelessly to investigate two landlords who put their tenants at risk by not meeting their responsibilities.  

"We know most of our landlords provide high quality, well-managed housing for local people, but we will continue to take robust action against those who do not." 

 In both cases, the landlords have been given a three-month period to pay their confiscation orders, with the risk of a default prison sentence if they fail to comply.