Illegal HMOs
The story of April 10 about 'Charles Marguiles of BMR Hemini Ltd', who apparently operates 'more than 200 properties across the capital'.. should have faced far stronger legal and police action. These vultures are buying up three bedroom houses and making them into seven or more mini-bed houses. Streets become filled with excess cars, pushing out local resident's vehicles; the amount of sewage increases three-fold. Politicians and the authorities need to wake up - this is Putney's most serious problem: such developers should be ordered to convert the housing back into original configuration.In Ealing they estimate there are 25,000 'additional' HMOs - caravans, garden sheds, etc - all pouring huge amounts of additional human waste into the Thames. When I rowed on the Thames 30 years ago it was far cleaner than it is today. Not now: the Thames Tunnel will have little effect on the increasing volumes. Mark my word.A landlord and a property development company have been fined £43,000 for an illegal development in a Southfields garden.Charles Marguiles of BMR Hemini Ltd operates more than 200 properties across the capital. He specialises in buying residential properties and converting them into Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) to rent to individual tenants.In 2022 the company bought the house on Linstead Way and proceeded to build accommodation at the rear.When residents objected, it emerged that no planning permission had been sought or granted for the new buildings. A retrospective application was made but this was refused by borough planners and an enforcement notice was issued for demolition.An appeal was launched against the notice and tenants were moved into the new units.A Government Inspector supported the council’s position but then BMR Hemini claimed it was unable to comply because the buildings already had a tenant in them.The council began prosecution proceedings on the basis that failure to comply with the enforcement notice was an offence under the Town and Country Planning Act, It was only following a court summons that the extension was demolished, nine months after it first went up.Despite this belated compliance, the council continued the prosecution due to the stress the neighbours had experienced.Margulies and BMR Hemini Ltd were convicted on 24 March, at Wimbledon Magistrates Court for failure to comply with the enforcement notice. They were fined £16,000, ordered to pay the council’s legal fees of £23,554 and pay a victim surcharge of £3,600.The judge was critical of their actions particularly placing a tenant in the building when they knew an enforcement notice was pending.The Leader of Wandsworth council, Simon Hogg, said, “All of the actions from this landlord clearly show that they cared more about rental income than following the rules.“The outcome of this case sends a clear message that we will not tolerate breaches of planning control in Wandsworth which ignore the impact such actions have on neighbours.”
Marcus Gibson ● 68d0 Comments