Landlord rented out garden building to family

A rogue landlord must pay up £81,000 after renting out a garden outbuilding "wholly unsuitable for people to live in".

Rajinder Singh Pander, of Windsor, Berkshire, had been served an enforcement notice by Hounslow Council requiring him to demolish the unsafe building - but he ignored the order and continued to rent out the property on Worthing Road, Heston, west London.

A young family, including a child, lived there for two years in "cramped and substandard living conditions, giving rise to serious concerns about their health and wellbeing", according to Hounslow Council.

Pander was ordered to pay £81,043.88 in fines and penalties when he was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 23 December.

It is unclear how much rent the family paid, but Pander was handed a £59,496.73 confiscation order for income earned during the period he rented out the building.

The 25sqm structure included a kitchen, living area and bathroom, and was situated in the garden of a rental property owned by Pander.

Pander admitted non-compliance with an enforcement notice - construction of a residential outbuilding.

At court, the judge deemed the offence to be at the "higher end of negligent culpability".

Pander was initially fined £21,000, but this was later reduced to £14,000 because of his early guilty plea.

He was also ordered to pay £7,547.15 in legal costs, alongside the £59,496.73 rent confiscation and other costs – bringing the total financial penalty to £81,043.88.

Tom Bruce, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said: "This prosecution continues our clear message that we will not tolerate landlords who put profit before people's safety. This outbuilding was wholly unsuitable for residential use and should never have been occupied.

"We always take robust enforcement action against those who choose to flout the law and undermine residents' safety. If anyone has any concerns about any property in the borough, please report these to us as soon as you can."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]