Rogue Landlord Stripped of OBE After Hounslow Council Request
Nirpaul Riat had illegally converted properties across the borough
Nirpaul Riat. Picture: Hounslow Council
October 20, 2026
The King has stripped a local businessman of his OBE after he was found to be operating as a rogue landlord over two decades.
In 2023, Nirpaul Riat was given one of the largest ever fines in Hounslow, amounting to £300,000. This came after it was proven in court that Mr Riat had illegally converted houses into flats and rented out outbuildings to vulnerable people, who were forced to live in “terrible conditions”.
These conditions included damp, squalid rooms with limited natural light, a lack of hot water, heating which only worked irregularly as well as leaks and a mould problem.
Mr Riat was fined by judges at Isleworth Crown Court in 2023 after “two decades of managing illegally converted houses”, which included illegally converting a property into eight flats and renting an outbuilding in Osterley.
The businessman 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.” He was awarded Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2011.
This was for “services to Charity and to the Punjabi People” after he raised nearly £50,000 for air ambulance services, Thames Valley Crime Stoppers and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Tom Bruce, called for Mr Riat’s OBE to be rescinded at the time, telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service in 2023 “While these residents were left to languish in these appalling conditions, Nirpaul grew rich at their expense.
Reacting to the latest developments, Cllr Bruce said: “I am pleased to learn that Nirpaul 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.
A shower unit in one of Riat's properties. Picture: Hounslow Council
“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.”
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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