London borough fines man who split garage into flats

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Legal, Local Government

A Hillingdon landlord has been fined for unlawfully renting his garage as two seperate 'beds in sheds'.

Harnek Singh Brar, of Brookside Road, Hayes, was fined £14,325 after pleading guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court.

Brar had also divided his main house into two seperate dwellings.

The successful court action is a victory for Hillingdon Council which is stamping down on illegal back garden homes and rogue landlords. The council secured a result against a similar offender earlier this month.

Brar had previously failed to comply with an enforcement notice served by the council, which was upheld by the Planning Inspectorate in September 2010.

He is still required to comply with the notice by restoring the outbuilding to a garage and the subdivided main house back into a single home, or he could face further court action.

Councillor Keith Burrows, Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling, said: “We launched a clampdown earlier this month and the hard work and dedication of our officers is already paying off.

"I am glad to see the courts taking this seriously and issuing some hefty fines. I hope this acts as a warning and deterrent to others. We have a dedicated team to tackle this issue and we will continue to take action against those people who think they can flout the law.”

Brar was fined £10,000, ordered to pay £4,300 costs and a victim surcharge of £15.