A landlord from London has been hit with a large fine and a confiscation order totalling £78,620 for illegally converting a five-bedroom house into separate flats without the necessary permission.
Titilola Oyejole of Dagenham turned her property on Fanshawe Crescent into multiple units about nine years ago, living in one of them and leasing the others.
After a visit by planning officers from Barking and Dagenham in 2015, she was directed to revert the house to a single-family unit, a directive she ignored. Following a failed inspection in 2016, she was taken to court, resulting in a Confiscation Order requiring her to pay £19,784 and a fine.
Oyejole attempted to get a license from the council’s selective scheme in 2018 but made another unauthorized conversion of the property into two flats.
Additionally, one of the rented flats was infested by rats and suffered from water damage.
Despite being served an improvement notice, Oyejole disregarded it and was convicted in a second court case in 2023 for not complying with planning enforcement rules.
Oyejole now has to pay an additional Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order of £51,983. This amount combined with her previous fines and the cost of the council’s legal expenses brings her total debt to £78,620, which she must pay or she could be jailed.
Gary Jones, who is in charge of enforcement, regulatory and community safety at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, stated: “We make sure landlords don’t profit from illegal actions and protect tenants. The success in this case demonstrates the effectiveness of the services working together. I want to thank everyone who worked on this case to safeguard private tenants.”
