Rogue Wembley landlord banned from letting - one tenant lived beneath lean-to made of pallets and tarpaulin with no lighting or heating

 From Brent Council

 

A criminal businessman has been slapped with Brent’s first ever rogue landlord banning order.

So-called property dealer, Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, who lives with his family in Swinderby Road, Wembley Central, has been banned from letting out houses in England and engaging in any sort of property management work in the country for the next five years.

 

A judge issued the ban after the council proved that Valand, aged 48, had been responsible for multiple housing-related offences in Brent.

 

Valand was one of four slum 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.

 

Although he was slammed with a £5,000 confiscation order, Valand went on to exploit more vulnerable tenants. In January 2022, he was found guilty of breaching housing regulations at a licensed HMO property in Wembley Hill Road. Enforcement officers discovered fire safety violations, accumulating waste, disrepairs and unhygienic conditions under Valand’s management while he pocketed £1,400 a month from tenants 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 a lie. He was ordered to pay in fines and costs £6,190 for this lie.

 

Councillor 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 1 August 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.

Kevin Courtney's letter to NUT members on Trump protests

Dear colleagues,

As you will be aware many of our members have joined the protests around the country against Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US from seven countries which have a majority Muslim population.

They will have joined those demonstrations as individuals but also as teachers they will be acutely concerned about the message this action sends to the young people they see every day.

I accepted an invitation to speak at the demonstration outside Downing Street on Monday and have also accepted an invitation to speak at the demonstration in London on Saturday. I have also signed the petition and a letter to the Guardian calling for the invitation of a state visit to be withdrawn.

I believe that Donald Trump’s actions will upset many of the children and families our members serve and have an impact on communities all over the country. I therefore strongly believe that, we must speak out – I do not believe that silence is an option.

When I spoke at Downing Street I said I was representing the biggest teachers union in Europe and wanted to explain why teachers should be involved. I said Trump was no ordinary bad politician – his policies aren’t bad immigration policies and misguided anti-terror policies. Instead his policies are aimed at stoking fear and division.

And it won’t just be migrants from some countries affected. That fear and division will come to every school and every community; so every person of good will needs to speak out. Every teacher needs to be involved – for the sake of our children.

I hope that you will support my decisions with regard to the protests and that you will support any protests that may be happening locally and encourage members to attend.

With best wishes,
Kevin Courtney,
NUT General Secretary

Keep up the pressure on Trump's Muslim Ban - Saturday US Embassy 11am

Petitions started to ban use of glyphosate pesticides in Brent and Harrow

Further to my article LINK on potential health dangers of the pesticide glyphosate marked under various names, including Roundup, by Monsanto petitions have been launched calling for its banning by Brent and Harrow Councils.

Brent petition HERE
Harrow petition HERE