Streatham residents concerned at state of B&B property which caught fire in May

Local residents in Streatham have raised concerns about the state of a property which was attended by the fire brigade earlier this year in their local neighbourhood.

The property is owned by Dellhome Ltd, a company used by developer Iqbal Ali Khan to rent temporary accommodation to various London councils.

Private Eye recently reported on the fact that Lambeth has given almost £4m to companies owned by Iqbal Ali Khan, despite the fact that the landlord has a previous conviction for illegally converting a property into flats without planning permission.

In May, “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a house on Woodbourne Avenue in Streatham,” according to the London Fire Brigade. Residents are now concerned that the repair work to the building is being done in an unsafe way. One local resident told Brixton Buzz: “No scaffolding, hard hat workers or secured materials. What are Lambeth Council building control doing about it? Not much apparently. It’s a hazard if it gets windy.”

It seems that Khan has a track record of flouting planning rules, having been refused planning permission to change buildings into accommodation on more than one occasion.

Khan styles himself as a ‘Lord’ on Companies House and back in India where he is a well-known businessman in Hyderabad with a number of hotels. He is the beneficial owner of two companies, Dellhome Limited (£2,048,133.98 received in payments from Lambeth council since 2019), and Cyberstyle Lettings Limited (£1,939,084.50 from Lambeth). His list of registered companies includes construction, real estate, a nursery, and a travel agency.

Khan is not a member of the peerage of the United Kingdom – the group of aristocrats who have either inherited or been appointed with titles.

In 2014, Khan was fined “for converting a property into flats without permission. The defendant was ordered to pay the council’s costs of more than £17,000 after an appeal was turned down at the Old Bailey”.

In 2020, Khan was again refused planning permission to change a building he owns from a nursery into accommodation, after losing an appeal. The appeal decision says about this property that “the top floor flat has been used for a considerable period by tenants placed by a number of London Borough housing authorities.”

In 2021, Khan was given permission to build a roof extension on another property at 77 Woodbourne Avenue. According to planning enforcement documents, Khan violated the planning order to build a third floor on the building, which was then attempted to be hidden. The extension was later granted permission on the basis that “the property is in use as a single dwellinghouse, and on the information supplied with this application only and if, at any time, circumstances were to change so as to constitute a material change of use, full planning consent would be required.” Local councillors believe this property is now being used as an HMO for temporary accommodation residents.

The planning enforcement Officer Report related to 77 Woodbourne Avenue notes that: “An Enforcement Notice was served in 2009 with regard to the unauthorised change of use of the property to 3 self-contained flats and the erection of a full width single storey rear extension.”

Meanwhile, Khan also lost a planning appeal in November 2024 related to the same property at 77 Woodbourne Avenue. The decision required the landlord to “Remove the unauthorised roof extension from the rear roof slope of the premises and reinstate the roof as existed prior to the breach of planning control”. Neither 75 or 77 Woodbourne Av appear on the register of licensed HMOs in Lambeth.

One resident who lives near the house on Woodbourne Avenue which caught fire in May said they had repeated problems related to the poor management of Khan’s property. Another local resident reported similar unsafe conditions at another of Khan’s properties on Becmead Avenue nearby. One neighbour reported that a sewage leak from the property had spread to their garden.

Lambeth Council refused to address specific queries about the properties, saying: “The extreme shortage of social housing in the borough means we depend on a supply of TA to house all the people who come to us in housing need. All temporary accommodation is selected on the basis of availability, quality and cost. These are the criteria when it comes to dealing with this very real and pressing crisis.” From this evidence, it would seem that Lambeth is far more concerned about cost than quality.

The Lambeth Press Office spokesperson added that “On the property you mention, I have asked, again, whether there have been any developments we are able to report. But, in the meantime, it should at least be made clear that this accommodation was not being used by Lambeth Council to house residents.” It’s clear, however, that Lambeth have been paying Mr Khan’s companies for the use of other properties.

Brixton Buzz talked to one workman outside the properties who told us that the house that caught fire was being used to house residents from other London boroughs. Councils often rent temporary accommodation outside their own boroughs because it is cheaper.

Cllr Nicole Griffiths, who represents the local Streatham St Leonard’s ward, told Brixton Buzz: “Local councillors are very aware of what’s going on with these properties and are working closely with the Council to ensure that each property is properly renovated to meet current building control and HMO licensing regulations. Lambeth has stopped placing temporary accommodation tenants in these properties, it’s imperative that other councils do the same until the properties are deemed fit for habitation”.

It is very worrying that homeless residents of various London boroughs are being forced to live in such obviously substandard accommodation which puts them in danger. Without something being done to stop landlords housing the homeless in dangerous conditions, there is a real risk of another Grenfell Tower fire happening.

Despite repeated attempts to reach Iqbal Ali Khan for comment, including giving him our contact details, we have not received any response to our emails or approaches to his employees working on his houses.