A rogue landlord who rented out an unheated outhouse to a couple with a four-month-old baby has been banned from letting or managing housing in England for five years.

Sanjay Patel, who lives in Harrow, crammed more than 18 people into a house licensed for a maximum of seven in Wyld Way, Wembley. Brent Council enforcement officers found four people sharing a single attic room, locked windows that wouldn’t open, and faulty smoke alarms.

The most serious conditions were found in an undeclared outbuilding, where a couple and their baby were living without heating or electricity.

Earlier this year, Willesden Magistrates fined Patel £87,000 for housing breaches and ordered him to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £2,788 in prosecution costs, bringing the total to £91,788.

Order

A tribunal has now issued an order banning him from letting housing and carrying out letting agency or property management work for five years.

The landlord had also been fined £50,000 in 2024 for housing offences he committed at a rental property on Vivian Avenue, Wembley - one of the largest fines against an unlicensed landlord issued that year. After tenants reported a rat infestation, leaks and a broken toilet, council enforcement officers found eight people, including two children, living in a house only suitable for five people, with mould, faulty doors, blocked hallways and serious disrepair throughout.

Director

Thomas Cattermole, corporate director of resident and housing services, says: “This banning order sends a clear message that Brent does not tolerate landlords who put profit before people’s safety.

“Every resident deserves a safe and secure home. The council will continue using the strongest enforcement powers available to protect tenants and hold rogue landlords to account.”

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