A landlady in London faces prison unless she pays a Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order totalling £51,983.

Titilola Oyejole from Dagenham must also pay a further £26,700 in fines and costs in addition to the Order.

Both follow a judge finding her guilty for a second time of planning and improvement order offences .

Oyejole lives at a five-bedroom property on Fanshawe Crescent (pictured) which she divided approximately nine years ago into two separate flats albeit without planning consent. She continued to live in one, while the other was rented out.

Following a visit by planning officers from Barking and Dagenham council in 2015, she was ordered to restore the property to a single dwelling, but in 2016 a further inspection revealed this had not been done.

She was taken to court and a Confiscation Order under the Proceeds of Crime Act was made in the sum of £19,784, plus a small fine and costs.

Rat infestation

In 2018 Oyejole applied for a licence under the council’s selective scheme for the property, but an inspection found that it had been once again turned into two apartments with the rented one featuring a rat infestation and water ingress.

Improvement notices were issued and at a second court case in 2023 she pleaded not guilty to ignoring the original planning enforcement requirements and not acting on the improvement notices, but was found guilty.

She now faces a second Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order of £51,983 which, along with fines and paying the council’s costs, means she must now pay £78,620 or face fail.

Gary Jones, Operational Director, Enforcement, Regulatory and Community Safety, says: “This case shows that we always take necessary steps to safeguard tenants making sure that landlords do not benefit financially from illegal activity.

“This is a fantastic result and shows the importance of collaborative working across the service. I would like to thank everyone involved who have helped achieve this and protect private tenants.”

Read more about improvement notices.

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