Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Landlord set to lose rents from illegal conversions
Rogue landlords continue to blight the Harringay Ladder - Haringey Council have managed to bring one to book.
A rogue landlord faces fines and having his rents confiscated after losing his appeal against conviction for two illegal house conversions.
Cllr Nilgun Canver, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said:
"Hopefully we will now see justice done. The extra rent accrued while people were living in illegally converted flats may now be confiscated. I hope this is a lesson to all landlords who try to take shortcuts or hope to dodge planning laws."
[name removed] of Southgate converted properties on Hewitt Road and Burgoyne Road N4, to four and five self-contained flats. He had no planning permission for the conversions. Consequently council planning enforcement officers issued enforcement notices requiring him to return the properties to single dwellings.
He was first prosecuted and convicted in 2010 when he failed to comply with the enforcement notice. A further prosecution in 2011 resulted in a second conviction.
Subsequent planning inspection visits found no changes to the properties and he was prosecuted and convicted for a third time in January this year. He unsuccessfully appealed the conviction at Wood Green Crown Court on March 11, arguing he had done all he could to comply with the enforcement notices. The judge dismissed this as 'far too little too late'.
Haringey Council requested that the matter be referred for confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act as so much time had lapsed since the enforcement notices were first in breach. He stands to potentially lose all of the calculated benefits from renting these properties as flats in breach of the enforcement notice and may be fined and asked to pay costs incurred by the council.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by abstractjuz on
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He was convicted over the same matters in 2010, 2011 and 2013?
Can I ask what this person has received as punishment so far and what he will receive as punishment for his latest conviction?
When the judge dismissed this as "far too little too late" - are you sure he wasn't talking about the punishment?
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I didn't get a reply on this so maybe I'm the only one questioning what a success it really is.
Haringey council site lists £14,482 in fines against this guy since 2010.
That amount, broken down into 3 years spread across 9 rooms in 2 properties could be paid for by a rent increase of just over £10.00 p/w per room.
These 2 properties alone are probably still bringing in over £100,000 a year even at the lowest end of London rents.
Other licensed HMO's have apparently had their license revoked and the properties have had to be de-converted but neither of those things are mentioned for this guy.
Sorry - but I'm not seeing a deterrent.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Who are you asking? I assumed you were actually expressing an opinion - with which I agree.
Mr Taskin Ahmet Izzet appears to have been somewhat unusual since he actually broke the law. It seems to me that many bad landlords are happy to exploit the housing shortage using perfectly legal means. And to evict tenants who have the insolence to complain.
I also agree with Karen's comments. Though, there's no shortage of "rogue" landlords in my own and many other wards.
Among the latest "parcels of rogues" are the Government with its bedroom tax and those members of Haringey's "Labour" council who are keen to introduce fixed-term tenancies for council tenants. Great. Many more families can then live in temporary housing. Just what's not needed for stability and social cohesion.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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I was asking Karen - the original poster - or anyone who represents the local council to point me to something that showed people like this were being dealt with effectively.
I don't know who wrote that press release but initially, it was the language that bothered me.
Confiscation proceedings have been 'requested' (not 'confirmed'), Izzet will 'potentially' lose benefits from rent (not - he 'will' lose benefits), he 'may' be fined (he's already been fined and so far nothing seems to have changed). Re-read it - the whole release is written like that.I saw the BBC doco about Caledonian Rd that Alison P posted - it was worrying and you're right - there's no shortage of people like this.
I guess my question was "where is the effective deterrent?" IMHO the answer appears to be "there isn't one".
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I'm his current tenant, nightmare. Had environmental health involved, been the most stressful time of my life dealing with him. again electrical and plumbing issues, along with walls that are soaked due to lack of insulation. DO NOT EVER DEAL WITH A LANDLORD SURNAME IZZET
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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The press release has been worded like that because the court hasn't sentenced him yet. Haringey has asked for it to be considered under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) I assume because this could attract a big financial penalty. POCA provides for the Local Authority to get a percentage of the money confiscated and I think the police do as well. That seems right to me, since bringing these cases is a massive amount of work and very costly. I'm really pleased Haringey is taking action against rogue landlords and asking for confiscation.
The Councils' Regulatory Committee receives a report on planning enforcement which lists all the cases being pursued. The number is increasing.
There are a number of other initiatives underway to tackle rogue landlords. These include the Article 4 Direction which should be in place at the end of this calendar year.
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, St. Ann's Ward
Chair, St. Ann's and Harringay Area Committee
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I think it's highly problematic that the council and the police receive a cut of any confiscation. It creates a moral hazard and room for abuse.
There should not be a financial incentive for the police or the government to do its job.
In the USA the civil forfeiture laws have turned policing in "policing for profit". It's a great way to destroy trust in government. See https://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/asset-forfeiture-abuse
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I know our laws are different and that we don't have the same problematic legal system. Yet, it is still possible for cash to be seized without a criminal conviction, see http://www.cheshire.police.uk/advice--information/proceeds-of-crime... Even more dubious - the courts receive a cut! 12.25% in 2010 - £10M, according to this FOI (3rd response): https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/poca_2002_payments_to_hmcs Sure, that's only 1% of their budget, but it still raises an eyebrow.
My point was that the concept is fraught with difficulties, especially in times when budgets are stretched. Over time, tweak after tweak, current constraints could be relaxed and we could end up with a US-like system. Parking enforcement and speed cameras are already seen by many as revenue generators rather than appropriate governance.
Don't get me wrong, I think there needs to be far more enforcement against rogue landlords and it's essential that the proceeds get confiscated (or you'd create a moral hazard where the crime is still worthwhile). Use it to pay down the national debt or assign it to a similar moral hazard-free pot.
If the cost of enforcement is to high - address the root cause of that.
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Just wondering about the reason the person's name wasn't given.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Yeah, me too. I bet it's because it's an obviously English surname and some Englishman will climb on here saying how outrageous it is to name him because people in Harringay will assume that all English landlords are the same, nah nah....
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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I think it's Karen being over-sensitive to data protection issues. It's on the Haringey website. It's factual reporting. He's already been convicted. There's no data protection or libel issue. Trust me, I'm a lawyer! It's Taskin Izzet.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I just wanted to pass the information on to residents as its a good result. I wasn't sure able the implications of naming the landlord so I took it out.
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