BY ERIC KING
A landlord who rented out poor quality accommodation to tenants has been fined a heavy £200,000.
Vijay Kara rented out the low class accommodation in a former business unit in an industrial estate off the North Circular Road, and a house in Willesden. He had been convicted of the same offence in 2009.
Harrow Crown Court heard how he ignored two separate enforcement notices from Brent Council ordering him to convert the properties back to their original condition. Many landlords conveniently rent out properties that are below par to tenants and ignore the warnings of poor standards.
The courts ordered Kara to pay £187,600 for both properties, fined him £10,000 and also imposed additional costs of £10,000. How he thought he could get away with providing awful standards of accommodation despite a conviction only a few years ago is more than shocking. The conviction and huge fine should go out as a lesson to all landlords that it is not acceptable to selfishly think about your pockets at the expense of innocent tenants
