Has to pay six figure sum for illegally converting house into five flats

A landlord has been fined a total £136,000 for illegally converting a house in Acton into five flats and renting out the cramped units with inadequate facilities.

Morteza Dehghan Nayeri of Nelson Road, Whitton, was also ordered to pay legal costs of £16,000 after being sentenced at the Isleworth Crown Court earlier this month which saw the end of an investigation which took over five years.

Poor conditions inside the flat

Following investigations by the council’s Planning Enforcement Team in 2013, a visit to the self-contained flats at 2 The Ridgeway, W3 8LL revealed cramped living conditions with poor natural light and a lack of rubbish and recycling facilities. A council Enforcement Notice was issued, and a prosecution was brought forward, resulting in a fine of £22,561.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Mr Nayeri finally complied with the Notice. During this time, the council’s Financial Investigator made an application for the provision of financial information under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. It was revealed that Mr Nayeri benefitted from a total of £116,000 through the rent he had accrued over the years.

Deputy Leader of the Council Lily Bath, Cabinet member for Housing and Social Inclusion said, “The council takes crime very seriously. After years of pursuit, not only has Mr Nayeri been prosecuted, but we’ve recovered the £116,000 he gained as well as an additional £20,000. Mr Nayeri failed to recognise the seriousness of what he was doing and held complete disregard for the law. This is one of the biggest fines we’ve managed to secure of this nature, and through our zero-tolerance approach there’ll be many more with the help of legislation.”

June 22, 2018