4 months ago
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A rogue landlord has been fined half a million pounds after renting out a large shed as five separate flats - ten years after neighbours first tipped off the council.
Yehuda Levhar of Sudbury, north-west London, rented out the shed without seeking planning permission with Brent Council first being alerted by local residents in 2013.
At the same premises, Levhar also pleaded guilty to renting out a house as two flats, also without planning permission, at Hendon Magistrates' Court in 2021.
After being alerted to the rogue landlord's activities, the council issued an enforcement notice, Harrow Online reports, but Levhar refused to comply.
Ten years later, Levhar has finally been brought to justice and ordered to pay £485,000.
Levhar rented out a large shed as five different flats illegally, a court has found
Levhar was finally fined at Hendon Magistrates' Court, ten years after the council was first tipped off about his activities
The case was complicated after officers were told by tenants their landlord was named Barry Jacobs - meaning his true identity could not be found.
The premises were eventually registered with the Land Registry under the name Yehuda Levhar.
Officers successfully tracked Levhar down in 2020.
Levhar was finally prosecuted last week, following three years of court hearings. He has now been ordered to pay £60,000 in court costs and a £1,000 fine to the court.
Levhar was also handed a £424,000 confiscation order, designed to make him repay the government for the criminal profit he has made over the years.
Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and Public Protection, said: 'Yehuda Levhar has felt the force of the law for choosing to rip off tenants, house them in appalling conditions and ignore planning regulations.
'This is sort of exploitation is illegal and we will root out every last landlord in Brent who acts like this.
'We will utilise in full force our recently granted borough-wide licensing, which will enable us to improve standard of living for renters in Brent, and give landlords clear guidance on what responsibilities are expected of them to safeguard renters' security.'
