Landlord in North West London hit with £1.5m confiscation order

Two London councils have secured a confiscation order for almost £1.5m against a landlord who over a five-year period converted properties into substandard flats without planning permission.

Vispasp Sarkari, 56, of Hawthorne Avenue, Harrow, faces nine years in prison if he fails to pay.

The defendant had converted one property in Brent into eight box-room bedsits. Four properties in Harrow were similarly converted. He is believed by Brent and Harrow Councils to own further properties in North West London.

Sarkari had been served with planning enforcement warnings by both local authorities.

In addition to the confiscation order, Sarkari was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay both councils’ costs in full.

Brent has secured a restraint order against the defendant which means that he cannot dispose of his assets before the order is paid in full. If he does not pay up, then the council can force the sale of his properties.

Cllr Tom Miller, Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “Slum landlords won’t be tolerated - plain and simple. If you ignore planning laws or leave tenants to languish in poor conditions, then we will find you, we will take action in court, and we will win. Anyone we find flouting planning or exploiting renters will feel a deep hole in their pockets after we’ve taken them to task.”

Cllr Keith Ferry, Harrow Council’s cabinet member for planning, said: “Justice means taking the ill-gotten gains off this slumlord millionaire. This is a man who thought he couldn’t be stopped. He was wrong.”

Harrow and Brent were represented by Edmund Robb of Prospect Law, who said: “The confiscation order of almost £1.5m which has been made in this case represents major recognition by the Crown Court of the personal misery and amenity damage which is caused by blatant and longstanding failures by developers to comply with planning enforcement notices issued by local authorities in London.”