“Mr Riat allowed his tenants to live in woeful conditions"
A West London businessman has been stripped of his OBE for allegedly renting illegally converted homes in terrible condition.
In 2023, Nirpal Singh Riat was fined £300,000, following a court case over two decades of managing illegally converted houses.
The case involved properties converted into flats without permission and an outbuilding in Osterley rented to vulnerable tenants.
Residents were forced to live in damp, squalid rooms with limited natural light, no hot water and heating that worked only irregularly.
The properties also suffered from leaks and mould, with the conditions prompting legal action against Riat.
Judges at Isleworth Crown Court imposed the £300,000 fine in 2023 after the businessman was found to have illegally converted a property into eight flats and rented out an outbuilding.
Riat had previously been fined £20,000 in 2009 for illegally converting a property in Hanworth into flats.
According to the Cabinet Office, his conduct had “brought the honours system into disrepute”.
Riat was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2011 for “services to Charity and to the Punjabi People”.
The honour recognised his fundraising efforts, which raised nearly £50,000 for air ambulance services, Thames Valley Crime Stoppers and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Hounslow Council’s Deputy Leader, Councillor Tom Bruce, had called for Riat’s OBE to be rescinded following the conviction.
In 2023, Councillor Bruce said:
“While these residents were left to languish in these appalling conditions, Nirpal grew rich at their expense.”
Reacting to the decision to strip Riat of his OBE, Councillor Bruce said:
“I am pleased to learn that Nirpal Riat has been stripped of his OBE.
“Ensuring the best possible quality of life for our residents is an absolute priority, and we will use every measure at our disposal to protect tenants and hold rogue landlords to account.
“Mr Riat allowed his tenants to live in woeful conditions while growing rich at their expense. That is why Hounslow Council pursued the case and why such a significant fine was imposed.
“At the time of his conviction, I publicly called for Mr Riat to lose his OBE, and the council submitted a formal request.
“The stripping of his OBE, along with the original fine, sends a clear message: exploiting tenants and profiting from unacceptable living conditions is not something that will be tolerated in Hounslow.
“There should be consequences for rogue landlords who put their tenants’ welfare at risk.”
Riat told Times of India that some of the allegations were “fabricated”. However, a Hounslow councillor lobbied the honours forfeiture committee to get his OBE revoked.
After being notified, his lawyers wrote to the committee disputing the claims but did not receive a response.
Riat added: “I didn’t push it hard enough as I didn’t think it would go this far.”
