December 13th 2023.
A rogue landlord has been fined nearly half a million pounds after cramming five flats into a single garage in London. Neighbours first alerted authorities to the landlord's activities a decade ago, but it took seven years for Brent Council to track him down and take him to court.
Yehuda Levhar had illegally split a house and garage into seven flats without planning permission, and had been renting them out. Tenants knew him as 'Barry Jacobs', but it wasn't until 2016 that the council was able to locate him and register the premises in his name.
The case went to court and, after three years of hearings, Levhar was finally prosecuted. Judge Sherrard KC fined him £60,000 in costs to the council, a £1,000 fine to the court and a £424,000 confiscation order to the government for the criminal profit he had made over several years.
Councillor Harbi Farah commented on the case, saying: "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 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."
The case serves as a warning to any landlords who may be tempted to flout the law and take advantage of their tenants. People living in Brent and across London can rest assured that the authorities are doing all they can to protect their rights and ensure they have access to safe, secure housing.
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