Temporary accommodation company still being used by Lambeth after one property caught fire
Lambeth continues to pay Dellhome Ltd almost a year after one property almost burned down.
Lambeth Council is still paying a company to house homeless residents in temporary accommodation almost a year after one of its properties caught fire.
The property is owned by Dellhome Ltd, a company used by developer Iqbal Ali Khan to rent temporary accommodation to various London councils. Lambeth made payments of £52,100 to Dellhome in December 2025 alone. Since 2022 the company has been paid almost £2.4 million.
In 2025, Private Eye 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 2025, “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 concerned that repair work to the building is being done in an unsafe way, with one local saying: “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.”
Dellhome Ltd uses the address on Woodbourne Avenue which caught fire as the company’s listed address on Companies House.
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 (£2,382,659.98 received in payments from Lambeth council since 2019), and Cyberstyle Lettings Limited (£2,285,902.00 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.
In November 2025, I talked to one workman outside the properties who told me 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, said: “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”.
As of March 2025, 75 Woodbourne Avenue, the one which caught fire last year, is boarded up, while 77 appears to be being used for temporary accommodation. One local resident told me: “Residents in the street worry about what will happen with the properties at 75 & 77 Woodbourne Avenue. Every so often, a team of people will be instructed to do work on the properties. They appear to be people who live in one of Khan’s properties. This always appears to be absent of any Health & Safety considerations or quality to the work.”
This resident told me that “Neighbours were so concerned there was going to be a significant incident to a person, they contacted building control, H&S executive, and councillors”.
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 my contact details, I have not received any response to my emails or approaches to his employees working on his houses. Lambeth was also contacted for a further update on its position and their statement will be added when I receive it.