A couple from Hounslow have been fined more than £270,000 after Hillingdon Council discovered they had unlawfully subdivided a house in Yiewsley into multiple flats and built an unauthorised outbuilding for rent.
Amarjit Singh, 54, and Jasbinder Kaur, 45, were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday 7 April. The court heard the pair had subdivided a home on Maple Avenue into four cramped, self-contained flats, and constructed an outbuilding in the garden – all without planning permission.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the judge ordered the couple to repay £250,055.80, the income generated from charging rent on five illegal units. They were also fined £10,000 each and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £4,480. They have three months to pay, or face a potential jail sentence of up to two years and nine months.
Council officers first inspected the property in June 2018 following reports that a large outbuilding had been constructed in the garden without planning permission. A subsequent inspection in July confirmed the main house had been split into separate flats, each with its own kitchen and living space.
Planning enforcement notices were issued in November 2018, demanding the property be restored to a single-family home by March 2019. However, a follow-up unscheduled visit found that the enforcement notices had not been complied with, and the property and outbuilding were still being rented to multiple tenants.
The pair pleaded guilty to breaching planning control at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in February 2024. A financial investigation revealed the extent of the rental income, leading to the Crown Court proceedings.
Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth said: “This is a significant result for our planning enforcement and trading standards teams and sends a clear message that the creation of beds in sheds and illegally rented properties will not be condoned in our borough.
“We’re determined to keep residents safe from harm and ensure everyone can live in safe, good quality homes, and we will continue to take legal action against any landlords who break the rules.”
