Council secures £222k confiscation order against landlord over illegal bedsits

A landlord who rented out illegal bedsits has been ordered to pay out £222,000 following a proceeds of crime application brought by Barking and Dagenham Council.

It is the biggest pay out the local authority has secured to date.

Zoofshan Malik, 47 of Upney Lane, Barking, was ordered to pay the sum by Recorder Milliken Smith at Snaresbrook Crown Court after she initially pleaded guilty to renting four unlawful flats in a breach of a planning enforcement notice, regarding an illegal extension to her property in Longbridge Road at £2,850 per month.

Malik was ordered to pay the confiscation order within three months or face two years’ imprisonment. The recorder also fined her £2,000 for the illegal extension and £11,649 in costs.

Officers from the council’s planning enforcement team had raided the property as a result of an anonymous allegation about the 37ft extension, and found the four flats being rented out in sub-standard conditions.

Cllr Laila Butt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement at Barking & Dagenham, said: “This is a victory for decent landlords and law abiding estate agents. It reflects the magnificent work of our legal team, BDT Legal, and our diligent investigation and enforcement officers whose determination and forensic use of evidence led to this excellent outcome.

“It’s more evidence that this council will relentlessly pursue rogue landlords in our resolve to stand up for decent housing standards.”

Barking and Dagenham Council argued that Malik had benefitted from her offending following an earlier hearing on the illegal extension.

It said its additional investigations demonstrated that she had received unaccounted deposits into her bank account, which the council argued demonstrated a wider benefit from general criminal conduct.

Cllr Butt said the bedsits had been demolished “so no one else has to suffer such bad living conditions”.