A Northolt landlord has been ordered by a court to pay more than £280,000 for illegally converting his suburban semi into self-contained flats.

On 30 October at Isleworth Crown Court, Krzysztof Pogwizd, aged 50, of Rasehill Close, Rickmansworth was ordered to pay a confiscation order and fine, totalling more than a quarter of a million pounds, for consistently ignoring warnings by Ealing Council to return the home in Dorchester Road to its former condition.

The micro-flats he created at the site were built without planning permission and breached numerous planning policies.

Unlawful conversion

In early 2020, the council issued an enforcement notice on the landlord, ordering him to stop letting the property as 5 self-contained flats. Mr Pogwizd was also asked to remove the kitchens, bathrooms, and drainage connections from 4 of the self-contained flats, in addition to all internal doors, partitions, and locks. He didn’t appeal the notice, so he was expected to comply with it.

In July 2022, Mr Pogwizd then submitted a planning application to convert the property into 4 self-contained flats, with cycle storage and car parking spaces. This application was refused in August that year.

On 6 October 2022, planning enforcement and police officers inspected the property after gaining a warrant. The officers found that the property was still occupied by multiple tenants and was, therefore, in violation of the original enforcement notice.

On 5 September 2023, Mr Pogwizd was summoned to Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty for breaching the requirements of the enforcement notice. The matter was referred to Isleworth Crown Court and, on 21 October 2024, he was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £259,920.51, a £12,000 fine, a victim surcharge of £2,000, and costs of £8,994.56 – a total of £282,915.07.

The size of the financial penalty reflects the scale of profit that Mr Pogwizd had made from letting the micro-flats after being told to stop doing so. In March 2023, Mr Pogwizd obtained planning permission for the legal conversion of the property into 3 self-contained flats.

Strong action to ensure compliance

Councillor Shital Manro, the council’s cabinet member for good growth and new housing, said: “As the demand for housing continues to grow in the borough, it’s more important than ever that we support landlords to provide safe, high-quality homes for their tenants. The overwhelming majority of landlords are law-abiding and play a vital part in the local housing market, but a tiny minority continue to put their tenants at risk by forcing them to live in cramped, sub-standard living conditions.

“Anyone looking to make substantial changes to their homes must seek planning approval before doing so. We will continue to take the strongest possible action to ensure that the borough’s private tenants are protected, and can live in safe, well-maintained homes.”

Report it

• If you are concerned that a property in your area has breached planning regulations, please report it by emailing planningenforcement@ealing.gov.uk
• Visit the council’s website for more information on planning rules and  applications

Photo at top of article courtesy, and copyright, of Google Street View.