A family of six were found living in an illegally-built outhouse the size of two living rooms during a crackdown on “beds in sheds”.
Landlord Virendra Patel, 58, built the structure four years ago in a London suburb without getting planning permission from Brent council.
He concealed it from planning officers and leased it to the family of six, who lived without paying council tax in five tiny rooms crammed into the 48 metre-square outbuilding in Kingsbury, north west London.
But in one of the first cases of its kind, Mr Patel is being forced to demolish the structure and pay thousands in legal costs after he was taken to court by the local authority.
Buildings more than four years old cannot usually be the subject of a planning order – but a change in the law allowed Brent to force the landlord to demolish the structure because he had concealed it.
Mr Patel originally claimed the outhouse would be used as a gym, before allowing the tenants to move in with a clause exempting them from paying council tax. He claimed that it was a “coincidence” that people had moved in, and that he had not realised they were living council-tax free.
But a judge at Hendon Magistrates’ Court ruled last week that there had been a “deliberate concealment” of the building’s use, and ordered Mr Patel to pay £11,703 costs and demolish the outhouse.
George Crane, who is Brent council's lead member for regeneration, said: “This is a fantastic result for the council and unscrupulous landlords who flout planning laws should take note.
“Brent Council wants good homes for local people and we are doing everything we can to raise standards. Beds in sheds simply aren't good enough and we will stamp them out.”
