Haringey landlord to pay £220,000 after illegal flat conversion

Pathfield Estates Ltd was ordered to return the property in Bounds Green to its original condition by a previous 2008 planning enforcement notice

A landlord has been ordered to pay more than £220,000 after an illegal conversion of a building into six flats.

A 2008 planning enforcement notice ordered Pathfield Estates Ltd to return the property in Bounds Green to its original condition following its illegal conversion into five flats.

Following this, an investigation which launched in 2020 found a new six-flat conversion, in breach of the 2008 enforcement notice. The company was then convicted at Highbury Magistrates Court in 2021.

The magistrates referred the case to the Crown Court for sentencing and the start of confiscation proceedings brought by the council under the Proceedings of Crime Act (POCA).

Pathfield submitted two appeals: one to the Crown Court (dismissed in June 2022) and then to the High Court (dismissed in July 2023, with an order to pay the council’s costs of £11,100).

The landlord was sentenced last month and ordered to pay £226,433.18, comprising of a £50,000 fine for not complying with the enforcement notice, a confiscation order under POCA of £163,258 to reflect its financial benefit from breaching the enforcement notice, plus a further £13,175.18 in costs.

Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning, Cllr Sarah Williams, said: “This conviction serves as a warning to disreputable landlords operating in our borough.

“Our residents deserve to live in safe, high-quality homes and we will not hesitate to take strong action if landlords flout planning laws or leave tenants to languish in poor conditions.

“I want to thank our planning enforcement team who worked tirelessly to get this result.”

Pathfield has been approached for comment.

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