A rogue landlord who illegally converted two family homes into self-contained flats has been ordered to repay some of his rental profits.
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Andrew Pakkos of Aylmer Road, East Finchley, and his company Cybergate Developments Ltd converted a house in Heybourne Road into eight self-contained flats and another in Bruce Castle Road into five self-contained flats.
But when Haringey Council planning enforcement officers investigated the conversions, they found that they had no planning permission and were substandard developments.
Enforcement Notices demanding that the conversions be reversed were issued on both Mr Pakkos and his company, with no appeal made against either notice.
An application for a certificate of lawful development for the conversion in Bruce Castle Road was made, but this was refused and the council began prosecution proceedings.
Mr Pakkos – representing both himself and his company – appeared before Haringey Magistrates’ Court in December 2010 where he pleaded guilty to breaching an Enforcement Notice on the property in Heybourne Road and was found guilty by Magistrates in relation to the house in Bruce Castle Road.
Following the conviction, Haringey Council asked for the case to be referred to Crown Court for a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to strip Mr Pakkos of the financial gain from his unlawful flat conversion.
On 26 October 2012, Wood Green Crown Court heard that Mr Pakkos had made in excess of £225,000 profit.
The court granted a confiscation order for the full remaining available amount – a total of £141,782.87 – and gave Mr Pakkos six months to pay or face up to two years in prison. Haringey Council will be entitled to an 18.75% share of the order – £26,584.29.
Cllr Nilgun Canver, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said:
“This case proves the council’s commitment to tackling unauthorised and poor quality developments in the borough.
“Rogue landlords who think that they can get away with making shoddy conversions for rent should know that we will take action – not only to reverse their poor developments but also to make sure that they don’t benefit from breaking the law.”
The money recovered will cover legal costs and leave thousands of pounds to plough back into asset recovery. The flats will have to be converted back into single houses.
Mr Pakkos and Cybergate Developments Ltd were each also fined £500.
