Nirpaul Riat, who has an OBE, has received one of the largest fines in Hounslow for managing 22 properties where tenants lived in appalling conditions.
Published: Thursday, 20th July 2023
Nirpaul Riat’s career as a rogue landlord ended last week after judges at Isleworth Crown Court fined him £300k after two decades of managing illegally converted houses, which saw vulnerable residents live in terrible living conditions.
Riat also illegally converted a property into eight flats and rented an outbuilding in Osterley.
The terrible conditions included damp, squalored rooms with limited natural light. Other issues included a lack of hot water and heating only working irregularly.
Riat was previously fined £20,000 in 2009 for illegally converting a property in Hanworth into flats. Riat faces being sent to prison if he does not pay the fine.
Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development at Hounslow Council, said:
“This landlord treated his tenants as nothing more than a commodity – exploiting residents in need of housing for his own financial gain.
“While these residents were left to languish in these appalling conditions, Nirapaul grew rich on their expense.
“I hope today’s verdict sends a message that we do not – under any circumstances – tolerate rogue landlords in Hounslow and will use the full force of the law to prosecute them.”
Mr Riat was awarded an OBE in 2011 for services to charity.
