Authorities are heeding the calls from Observer readers to clamp down on rogue landlords who are destroying communities.
Officers from Harrow Council joined together with the London Fire Brigade and police last Thursday morning to visit an address in Courtenay Avenue, Harrow, after obtaining a court warrant following complaints from neighbours that the landlord was illegally overcrowding the property.
On entry, officers found that the main house, an extension and a stand-alone building in the garden had all been adapted unlawfully to live in as a combination of four individually rented bedrooms – an example of the 'beds in sheds' problem which Harrow Council's planning department have voiced concern about as a growing problem in the borough.
The landlord, who lives in Essex, is now being sought by Harrow Council for interview in relation to planning, housing and revenue issues after being served a notice informing them that there has been a breach of planning laws.
Conservative Councillor Susan Hall, leader of Harrow Council, said: “Beds in sheds is a creeping problem across Harrow. The tenants are at the bottom of a chain of exploitation which is led by landlords who see easy pickings from those desperate to live in London.
“When you cram a dozen people into a semi-detached house, that has a knock on effect as these are people who use council services, like schools and bin collections. It is not fair on them or the ordinary taxpayers of Harrow who effectively underwrite this, and we will keep hitting unscrupulous landlords hard.”
Harrow Council will be serving a demolition notice on the stand-alone unit in the back garden which, according to benefits records, was being rented out at £850 a month while the occupants claimed housing benefits.
The action comes two months after an online Observer poll found that 98 per cent of our readers believed that not enough was being done to address beds in sheds.
The design of the property potentially netted the landlord a rental income of around £4,000 a month while flying foul of planning laws.
On this occasion, officers identified the breach of planning laws before the landlord could get away with it for four years, which would then allow them to claim a pre-existing certificate to the council's planning committee, a national law that Councillor Bill Phillips (Labour) has branded 'insane'.
If you suspect a landlord is exploiting their property and ignoring planning laws in a bid to maximise income, you should contact Harrow Council on 020 8863 5611.
