A ‘greedy’ landlord couple who “milked £564k from illegal ‘shoebox’ flats” have been hit with a huge court order and possible prison.
Brent Council in North London took action against Inderjeet and Jasvinder Chokkar, who it said “carved up a family home into cramped, substandard flats and ignored the law for years”.
The couple illegally converted a three-bedroom house (see main picture) into six tiny rental flats without planning permission. The council ordered them to undo the work, but they refused and carried on cashing in.
Years of defiance
Finally, after years of defiance, the pair were convicted of breaching a planning enforcement notice.
Their appeal was then thrown out, and the court ruled they must hand back £564,367, the full amount they made from the illegal scheme.
The court heard the flats were poorly converted and far too small. Judges took a dim view of the couple’s experience in property, their repeated refusals to comply, and their clear financial motive.
Prison
Mr Chokkar was fined £25,000 and faces up to 12 months in prison if he doesn’t pay.
And Mrs Chokkar was given a £15,000 fine, with eight months in jail for non-payment. Their company, Housing Solutions (GB) Ltd, was fined another £25,000.
The couple must also pay nearly £50,000 in council enforcement, prosecution and legal costs. The total financial penalty and recovery ordered by the court was £679,142.
These rogue landlords have felt the full force of the law after choosing to rip off tenants.”
Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Public Realm & Enforcement at Brent Council, says: “These rogue landlords have felt the full force of the law after choosing to rip off tenants, house them in substandard conditions and ignore planning regulations.
“This kind of exploitation is illegal, and we will root out every last landlord in Brent who behaves like this and take them to court,” she says.
“If you break planning laws and exploit tenants in Brent, we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice. You will pay the price.”
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