Landlord made £40,000 from illegal property with tree poking through wall

A rogue landlord apparently made up to £40,000 by renting out a three-bedroom house with a huge tree growing through one of the rooms.

The detached house, in Clapham, south London, had been illegally converted into flats after it was passed onto a housing association on a short term basis in the 1970s.

It was meant to be returned back to the council after undergoing refurbishment but instead fell into the hands of the anonymous landlord.

When Lambeth Council took back possession of the house they found a nearby tree was poking into one of the rooms - and the occupants were using electricity from a cable drilled through the branch.

All of the eight occupants crammed into the property shared a single bath and toilet.

There were also no clear and suitable emergency exits.

Council experts estimated the landlord made £40,000 a year from the property with each room costing £100 per week.

The shortlife property was one of 1,200 homes handed over to housing associations and cooperatives as the council could not afford refurbishment work.

They were supposed to be handed back but many fell into the hands of unlawful owners. Lambeth Council are in the process of claiming properties back.

Councillor Matthew Bennett, cabinet member for housing said: “The conditions the people in this illegal HMO were living in were truly appalling, and represented a genuine danger to life and limb.

“It is shocking that someone can make money exploiting people by illegally renting out such dangerous accommodation with no regard for the safety of the people living there.