A west London landlord has been slapped with a five figure fine after illegally renting an outbuilding in the garden of a house he rented separately.
Rajinder Singh Pander, of Windsor, Berkshire, was fined a total of £81,043.88 following sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on December 23. He ignored several communications from Hounslow Council instructing him that the building was unsafe for occupants.
This resulted in Singh Pander being served an enforcement notice by the council, forcing him to demolish the unsafe outbuilding. However, the rogue landlord chose to ignore this, and continued renting the outbuilding, situated at 16C Worthing Road in Heston.
Hounslow Council said: “The outbuilding failed to meet basic planning, housing and residential standards and was wholly unsuitable for people to live in. Occupants were forced to live in cramped and substandard living conditions, giving rise to serious concerns about their health and wellbeing.”
Inside the property lived a young family, including a child. It is unclear how much Singh Pander charged them in rent, however included in the fine was a £59,496.73 confiscation order that was earned during the period he rented the building out.
The outbuilding only had one bedroom, a kitchen, living area and bathroom. It was in the garden of a rented property also owned by Singh Pander.
The family had lived in the 25 sqaure metre building for two years. A concerned resident living nearby alerted the council to the illegal practice.
At court, the Judge deemed the offence to be at the “higher end of negligent culpability.” Initially, a £21,000 fine was given to Singh Pander, however this was later reduced to £14,000 to reflect a “one-third credit for a guilty plea.”
He was also forced to pay £7,547.15 in legal costs, alongside the £59,496.73 rent recuperation, and other costs. This meant the total financial penalty imposed was £81,043.88.
Councillor Tom Bruce, Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “This prosecution continues our clear message that we will not tolerate landlords who put profit before people’s safety. This outbuilding was wholly unsuitable for residential use and should never have been occupied.
“We always take robust enforcement action against those who choose to flout the law and undermine residents’ safety. If anyone has any concerns about any property in the borough, please report these to us as soon as you can.”
