Homeowner fined for illegally knocking down his £800,000 home without telling the council

Mohammed Ali Khan demolished his three-bed semi-detached property in west London.

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·2 min read
Image after a homeowner illegally knocked down his own house. See SWNS story SWLNknocked. Mohammed Ali Khan, 45, of Thornbury Road, Hounslow, west London, was found guilty of instructing a contractor to demolish a building without notifying the Local Authority as required by section 80(2) of the Building Act 1984 after a trial at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on February 3 and was ordered to pay £6,000. Khan began tearing down the £800,000 three bed semi-detached house on Grove Road in Isleworth in January 2022. Hounslow Council's Building Control Service led the investigations after being alerted to the actions by neighbours concerned for their safety and wellbeing. Khan has now been ordered by the judge to cough up a fine of £6,043.34.
Mohammed Ali Khan demolished his three-bed semi-detached property in west London. (SWNS)
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A homeowner has been fined more than £6,000 for illegally knocking down his £800,000 house in west London without telling the council.

Mohammed Ali Khan, 45, got a contractor to demolish the three-bed semi-detached property in Hounslow, west London, without permission last January, Hounslow Council said.

The building control service team investigated after worried neighbours contacted them over safety concerns when Khan started tearing down the building in Grove Road, Isleworth.

He appeared before magistrates in October where he denied two charges of breaching the Building Act 1984.

But at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on 3 February, Khan was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £6,043.34.

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The home before it was illegally knocked down. (SWNS)
The home before it was illegally knocked down. (SWNS)

The council said that despite the prosecution, there is still a "dangerous structure notice" in place and this will stay until the remaining front facade is removed or the house is re-built.

Councillor Tom Bruce, cabinet member for regeneration and development at Hounslow Council, called Khan "flagrant and reckless" for carrying out the illegal work.

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He said: “I hope this prosecution and hefty fine sends a strong signal that we take these types of crime - which blight our neighbourhoods and threaten the safety of residents – very seriously and are fully prepared to pursue them.

“Flagrant and reckless breaches of planning rules and building regulations are not acceptable in our borough.

“This serves as a reminder to every resident that the correct procedures must be followed when undertaking construction on your property or hiring contractors.”