A Dagenham property owner has been ordered to pay over £29,000 after being convicted of a planning breach, Barking and Dagenham Council has announced.
Faikul Choudhury unlawfully subdivided a property in Trinidad Gardens, Dagenham, into two dwellings, the council said. Council enforcement officers inspected the property in 2019 following complaints from residents and found it had been converted into two separate homes without permission.
Choudhury was served an Enforcement Notice requiring the property to be returned to a single dwelling, but did not comply. He pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on 22 July 2025.
He was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 17 September 2026. He received a 12-month conditional discharge and a £26 victim surcharge. A Proceeds of Crime confiscation order of £29,523.32 was made against him, payable within three months — with three months’ imprisonment in default — and he was ordered to pay £2,000 in council costs.
Cllr Syed Ghani, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said the case showed the council would take action against landlords and property owners who flout planning rules. The council said the case served as a warning that ignoring enforcement notices would lead to prosecution.
Reporting based on: Barking and Dagenham Council news release, 21 September 2026.
