A serial slum landlord has been banned from letting out properties after repeatedly exploiting vulnerable residents.
Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, 48, has been handed Brent Council’s first ever bannning order, following multiple housing-related offences in the borough.
Valand was one of four landlords found guilty of raking in £360,000 by packing up to 40 tenants into a four-bed semi-detached home in Napier Road, Wembley, back in 2018.
Enforcement officers discovered one of the Napier Road tenants living in a lean-to shack made out of pallets and tarpaulin, with no lighting or heating.
He was slammed with a £5,000 confiscation order, but later went on to exploit more vulnerable tenants.
Last January, he was found guilty of breaching housing regulations at a licensed house in multiple occupation (HMO) property in Wembley Hill Road.
Enforcement officers discovered fire safety violations, accumulating waste, disrepairs and unhygienic conditions under Valand’s management.
Meawhile, he pocketed £1,400 a month from his tenants, who were living in unsafe conditions without tenancy agreements.
He was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £3,347 in costs by Willesden Magistrates Court.
Valand also declared that he didn’t own a business in the UK, but Brent officers were able to demonstrate in court last year that this was not true. He was ordered to pay in fines and costs £6,190 for this lie.
A judge has now banned Valand, who lives with his family in Swinderby Road, Wembley Central, from letting out houses in England and engaging in any sort of property management work in the country for the next five years.
Cllr Muhammed Butt, the leader of Brent Council, said: “This is the first ban we have issued since Brent was given the powers in April 2018 to ban serial rogue landlords under the Housing and Planning Act 2016. If Jaydipkumar Valand breaches his five-year ban, he will face a prison sentence.
“Brent Council takes a zero-tolerance policy against rogue landlords such as this, and we will use everything in our powers to hold them to account to safeguard our vulnerable residents.
“The new selective licensing scheme that we introduced on August 1 is part of our commitment to protecting renters’ rights and securing a decent standard of living for all residents. Landlords who rent out properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green are now legally required to have a property licence.”
