Brent Council recently prosecuted a rogue landlord who had taken a property and divided it into two flats without planning permission and even after it being brought to the Local Council’s attention and a subsequent investigation, continued to rent the flats out; for a total of nine years.
The landlord was prosecuted and due to previous infractions the Judge considered that the landlord should have seen the “foreseeable risk” when he chose to convert the house.
The end result is a landlord with a confiscation order against him, a fine of £190,000 and the need to pay the Local Council’s legal bill of £12,000. He has been given three months to pay all of this or face a prison sentence.
If you own a house and are thinking of converting it into flats to rent then you must get planning permission or you could face a similar situation. The Courts are getting tougher on rogue landlords and you could easily find yourself not only out of pocket but also facing a criminal conviction.
If you are buying a property and thinking of converting then please speak to our Property Team on 01892 824 577 or on pembury@burtons-solicitors.com.
If you are also considering renting and do not know where you stand, do not know what you need to give to the tenant, do not know what you must do to ensure the property is compliant, or even just need a Tenancy Agreement, then please speak to our Landlord & Tenant Team on 01892 824 577 or on pembury@burtons-solicitors.com.
