A LANDLORD who illegally converted a house into ‘sub-standard’ flats has been ordered to pay more than £300,000 to the public purse.

Vispasp Sarkari, of Ivanhoe Drive, Harrow, admitted at Willesden Magistrates’ Court to breaching an enforcement notice issued by Brent Council to return a house in London Road, Wembley, back into a single dwelling.

The 50-year-old was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on Tuesday, July 3, and was fined £7,500, with a £15 victim surcharge.

The judge issued a confiscation order to the tune of £303,112 after Brent Council and Harrow Council jointly applied to recoup some of his rental income backdated to 2005.

HM Treasury will receive half the money and the rest will be divided between Harrow Council, Brent Council, Harrow and Brent Trading Standards, and Her Majesty’s Courts Services as a collection agency. Sarkari must pay the sum within six months or face 42 months in prison.

Harrow Council’s portfolio holder for planning and enterprise Councillor Keith Ferry (Labour) said: “This landlord ignored planning rules designed to ensure that the quality of accommodation in the boroughs is maintained and that the environment for surrounding residents is protected. He ignored the council’s notices. As a result, he profited hugely from this sub standard accommodation.

“This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated in Harrow and I am delighted to see this man brought to justice thanks to the tremendous joint investigation work of dedicated planning enforcement teams in Harrow and Brent.”

In February 2009, Sarkari won an appeal against an enforcement notice issued by Harrow Council to force him to stop the unauthorised use of house in Nolton Place, Edgware, as four self-contained flats and a detached garden outbuilding as two self-contained flats.

In December the same year, he lost an appeal against an enforcement notice issued by the same council to force him to demolish a one-story rear extension at a mid-terraced property in High Road, Wealdstone.

On February 25 last year, he admitted breaching the enforcement notice between September 23, 2009 and June 11, 2010 and he was finally sentenced this month.