Ouch! Landlord hit with £1.4m Proceeds of Crime pena...

A landlord who was involved in a decade-long dispute with a London council has been hit with a £1.44 million penalty after repeatedly breaking planning laws.

Ali Bahbahani has been ordered to pay £1,283,444 for converting a home to create flats, including an extension, in Ealing, west London.

He had not secured planning consent and had refused to stop using the property and accept the unauthorised extensions should be demolished.

The authority secured the confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The council has repeatedly issued court applications to have the property restored to its original condition for some 10 years.

The case was heard at several courts before finally being concluded at Isleworth Crown Court - at which it was revealed that someone impersonating the landlord had attended the initial hearings. Bahbahani, who lives overseas, failed to appear in person.

A council spokesperson says: “You must make sure you have planning permission for major changes of any sort to your property. Failure to do so will result in court action and, as we have seen, can be very costly.”

The council will also be recovering some £16,000 in unpaid council tax and business rates, and will work with a receiver to recover costs. It will also be working with the Ealing property’s new owner to resolve the illegal building works.

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