To use the site, they then had to get the surveyor there, rebuild parts of the building, remove asbestos and build a road just to get trucks to the property.
Stephens, who changed his name from Richard Kirkup to avoid his criminal past, posed as a "surveyor" on behalf of Gresham and would visit proposed building sites and assess their viability, the court heard.
The surveyor said Southwark Council - the landlord - did not instruct him to make sure the refit met building regulations and that he would normally have acted on their behalf.