Landlords ordered to pay £679k over illegal Brent flats

"Rogue" landlords who carved up a family home into "substandard" flats have been ordered to pay £679,000.

Husband and wife Inderjeet and Jasvinder Chokkar converted a three-bedroom house in Brent into six flats without planning permission, then rented them out.

Brent Council ordered the pair to undo the work, but they ignored the order.

After years of defiance, the council says, the pair were convicted of breaching a planning enforcement notice.

Their appeal was thrown out, and a court has now ruled they must hand back £564,367 – the full amount they made from the illegal scheme.

The court heard the flats were poorly converted and far too small. Brent Council says judges took a dim view of the couple’s experience in property, their repeated refusals to comply, and their clear financial motive.

Mr Chokkar was also fined £25,000 and faces up to 12 months in prison if he doesn’t pay.

Mrs Chokkar was fined £15,000, with eight months in jail if she does not pay.

Their company, Housing Solutions (GB) Ltd, was fined another £25,000.

On top of that, the couple must pay nearly £50,000 in legal costs. The total financial penalty came to £679,142.

The prosecution followed a lengthy investigation by Brent Council’s planning enforcement team.

It is part of a wider effort to address poor housing standards and illegal property conversions in the borough.

Councillor Krupa Sheth, cabinet member for public realm and enforcement, said: “These rogue landlords have felt the full force of the law after choosing to rip off tenants, house them in substandard conditions and ignore planning regulations.

“This kind of exploitation is illegal, and we will root out every last landlord in Brent who behaves like this and take them to court.

“If you break planning laws and exploit tenants in Brent, we will do everything in our power to bring you to justice.

"You will pay the price.”