A Feltham landlord was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay more than £1,000 in costs after he failed to cooperate with a housing investigation.

Varinder Jit Gill had been asked on numerous occasions to explain his interest in a property in Bedfont Lane but Hounslow Council’s requests and legal notices went unanswered.

Housing officers had been investigating whether Gill was sharing the property with tenants without having the necessary licence after they received a complaint last October.

The council started legal proceedings in February after Gill continued to refuse to respond to their correspondence.

He was prosecuted at Brentford Magistrates’ Court in his absence and fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,121 costs to the council and a £15 victim surcharge.

Councillor Phil Andrews, Hounslow Council’s leader member for housing and community safety said: “We want to have a good relationship with landlords in Hounslow and with the vast majority this is true, but where there is a blanket refusal to co-operate with a simple request that relates to tenants' health and safety, we will use every means possible, including legal measures, to achieve that.

“This prosecution will send out a clear message. Work with us, or face the consequences. For Mr Gill, this is certainly not an end to this matter."