A landlord has been fined £136,000 after illegally converting a house in Chiswick into five unauthorised flats and collecting rent from tenants he put in them.
Morteza Dehghan Nayeri, of Nelson Road, Whitton, was also ordered to pay legal costs of £16,000 after being sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, June 1, 2018.
Following investigations by the council’s planning enforcement team in 2013, a visit to the self-contained flats at 2 The Ridgeway, 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 made a total of £116,000 through the rent he had collected from tenants at the flats over the years.
The council's deputy leader, Lily Bath, 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.”
