Two rogue landlords in Hanwell and Perivale who broke planning regulations hit by £600,000 enforcement bills

Two landlords in Ealing have been hit with fines of over £600,000 at Isleworth Crown Court for illegally converting houses into what the council has called “cramped and substandard flats which broke basic planning regulations”.

The two unconnected landlords failed to follow planning rules at their properties – Naib Sidhu in Hanwell and Vagnik Hovanessian in Perivale.

According to Ealing Council both men ignored enforcement notices from the council when it was found that they did not have the required planning permission in order to use these properties as multiple self-contained flats.

Mr Sidhu, who had to pay out £198,000 for his breach of planning rules, was a repeat offender. He was previously fined for a similar offence in 2017 when he was discovered using a house in Boston Gardens in Hanwell as eight self-contained flats when he was only given permission to turn the home into three flats.

In 2020, council officers had to use a warrant to get access to the property as they were previously blocked from accessing all parts of the property. They then discovered it was still being used for eight flats and Mr Sidhu was then taken to  Uxbridge Magistrates Court in 2021 and then to Crown Court last month over it.

In the case of the other landlord, Vagnik Hovanessian has been ordered to pay over £400,000 for ignoring a planning enforcement notice at his property on Selborne Gardens in Perivale.

The long running case which started in March 2011 when a council inspection discovered a house had been converted into three self-contained flats and a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Mr Hovanessian was served with a notice requiring him to stop occupying the property under those conditions and undo some of the internal alterations.

In January 2020, having been refused access by Mr Hovanessian on multiple occasions in previous years, the council gained a warrant to access the property and found that it was still being occupied in breach of the notice.

Last year Mr Hovanessian was found guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court of failing to comply with an enforcement notice, and the case was referred to the Crown Court where he was ordered to pay £406,000 for his breaches last month.

Both landlords now have three months to pay or face going to prison if they don’t pay.

Councillor Shital Manro, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for good growth and new homes said: “This is a great result for all Ealing residents, but particularly those who rent privately. Our planning enforcement team worked doggedly to pursue these two rogue landlords, who did not take their responsibilities seriously and profited from renting out cramped and substandard properties.”

Councillor Manro added: “Failure to comply with planning enforcement notices is a criminal offence which will always be investigated and punished accordingly. Landlords must ensure that they have relevant planning permission for major changes to their properties.”

Ealing Council is also asking residents to make contact with its enforcement team if anyone is concerned about a breach of planning control in their area. It can be reported by email to: planningenforcement@ealing.gov.uk along with details and photos.