A landlord in London was caught raking in the cash as he packed 40 tenants into a four-bedroom house, with the cramped let accumulating a whopping £360,000 despite the fact one person lived in a makeshift shack at the property.
Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand has been hit with Brent Council’s first-ever rogue landlord banning order after exploiting vulnerable tenants, meaning he is now prohibited from letting out houses in England for the next five years.
He is also banned from engaging in any sort of property management work for the same timeframe.
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Valand was one of four slum landlords found guilty of pocketing £360,000 by letting out a four-bed semi-detached home in Napier Road, Wembley, to no fewer than 40 tenants back in 2018.
Enforcement officers were shocked to discover one tenant had been living in a lean-to shack made out of pallets and tarpaulin, with no lighting or heating.
At the time, Valand was handed a £5,000 confiscation order, but proceeded to exploit more vulnerable tenants – with the landlord found guilty of breaching housing regulations at a licensed HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) property in Wembley Hill Road in January last year.
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Under Valand’s management, the house suffered from fire safety violations, disrepairs and unhygienic conditions, according to enforcement officers who investigated the property.
Meanwhile, he took £1,400 from the tenants, who were forced to live in unsafe conditions without tenancy agreements.
Valand was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £3,347 in costs by Willesden Magistrates Court.
He had tried to declare that he didn’t own a business in the UK, but Brent Council officials proved in court last year that this was untrue, and he was ordered to pay fines and costs of £6,190 for the lie.
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Councillor Muhammed Butt, the Leader of Brent Council, said: “This is the first ban we have issued since Brent was given the powers in April 2018 to ban serial rogue landlords under the Housing and Planning Act 2016. If Jaydipkumar Valand breaches his five-year ban, he will face a prison sentence.”
Butt added: “Brent Council takes a zero-tolerance policy against rogue landlords such as this, and we will use everything in our powers to hold them to account to safeguard our vulnerable residents.
“The new selective licensing scheme that we introduced on 1 August is part of our commitment to protecting renters’ rights and securing a decent standard of living for all residents. Landlords who rent out properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green are now legally required to have a property licence.”
Topics: UK News
Jess Hardiman