WIREDGOV

Rogue landlords are being weeded out by councils for some of the worst cases of illegal eviction - including one who forced a family of nine into a garage.

A mother and young son booted out of their home with their belongings were also among tenants wrongfully kicked out of their homes by reckless landlords taking the law into their own hands.

The Local Government Association said councils are cracking down on illegal evictions, with four councils securing successful prosecutions in one month alone – but is calling for the legal process to be speeded up to bring more cases to court.

Two of the landlords narrowly avoided jail after forcing tenants out of their home without following the correct procedure.

Recent council prosecutions include:

• In Birmingham, a landlord was prosecuted for illegally evicting a couple and their seven children from their home, changing the locks and shoving the family into the garage. The offence cost him more than £2,000.
• Also in Birmingham, a landlord was forced to pay more than £5,000 after illegally evicting a mother and her 11-year-old son, putting her belongings in the garden and changing the locks. When she regained access using a locksmith he had the locks drilled out, leaving her too scared to stay at the property.
• In North East Lincolnshire, a landlord received a suspended prison sentence after a tenant returned to the flat to find the locks changed and some possessions removed. The landlord said he thought the tenant had left the property.
• In Middlesbrough, a landlord was given a 12-month community order after forcing her way into a home and evicting a family with young children, bundling their possessions into black bags.
• In Manchester, a landlord was fined £3,500 after removing a family illegally and making them homeless.

The Government recently announced £5 million of extra funding to help councils tackle rogue landlords and the Housing and Planning Bill includes provision for maximum fines of up to £30,000.

While this represents good progress, it can take more than a year to prosecute a rogue landlord and the LGA is calling for the legal process to be speeded up to bring more illegal eviction cases to court.

The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils across England and Wales, said the recent prosecutions show local authorities won't allow unscrupulous landlords to bully tenants out of their homes.

Cllr Peter Box, LGA Housing spokesman, said:

"Councils won't hesitate to take irresponsible landlords to court and show the consequences they may face if they don't apply the law correctly.

"Making people homeless by bullying them out of their properties, changing locks and removing personal belongings is not only a criminal offence, but also traumatic for the victims.

"When relationships break down between tenants and landlords there are strict legal processes that have to be followed and council officers are here to help both sides move forward.

"No landlord can act outside the law and councils will do everything in their powers to ensure tenants can live in rented properties safe in the knowledge that local authorities are there to protect them from illegal eviction.

"Failure to follow the right eviction process could leave reckless landlords with a criminal record and an unwanted new home themselves – a prison cell.

"An extra £5 million funding from government to help councils tackle rogue landlords as well as proposals in the Housing and Planning Bill for a database of rogue landlords and to allow councils to levy fines up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution, are an important step forward.

"However, any database should be properly resourced and the legal process in relation to prosecutions should be speeded up so that, where appropriate, illegal eviction cases can be brought more quickly to court."

Any tenants who believe they have been evicted illegally should contact the housing team at their local council. Any tenant who is subject to violence or is threatened with violence by a landlord should call the police.

For advice or more information about the eviction process call Shelter on 0808 800 4444 or visit www.shelter.org.uk

Notes to editor:

• The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 makes it a criminal offence for a landlord to evict a tenant without following the correct legal steps.
• It nearly always counts as illegal eviction if a landlord forces tenants to leave by threatening or harassing them, physically throws them out or stops them from getting into certain parts of the home. It's also illegal eviction if a landlord changes the locks while a tenant is out, if the correct procedure for eviction has not been followed.
• The rules on eviction depends on whether you are a private tenant, a council tenant or a housing association tenant – visit www.shelter.org.uk/
• Only a bailiff can lawfully evict a tenant from their home if they are a private tenant and have an assured shorthold tenancy or a pre-1989 'fair rent' or regulated tenancy'. Before the bailiffs can come, a landlord must give a tenant notice to leave, go to a court for a possession order and apply to a court for bailiffs to evict the tenant. It's illegal eviction if a landlord forces a tenant to leave before bailiffs arrive, even if the landlord has obtained a court order or has given the tenant written notice to leave..

Case studies:

Birmingham City Council prosecuted a 37-year-old landlord for illegally evicting a couple and their seven children from their home. He changed the locks and refused to let the family return, before allowing one family member to enter and retrieve a few belongings, and then crammed the rest into the garage. On 13 January 2016 he was ined £700, with £1,500 costs and a victim surcharge of £70.

Birmingham City Council also prosecuted a 38-year-old landlord for illegally evicting a mother and her 11-year-old son. He changed the locks to the house and put her belongings in the garden and shed. On 14 December 2015 he was fined £1,035 with £4,044 costs and a £104 victim surcharge. 

Middlesbrough Council prosecuted a 57-year-old landlord for illegally evicting tenants out of a property following a dispute with her estranged husband over the collection of rent. On January 5 she was sentenced to a 12-month community order with ten days of rehabilitation and 100 hours unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £400 prosecution costs. The offence meant the landlord breached a suspended prison sentence for fraud and she was given an extra 40 hours of unpaid work.

North East Lincolnshire Council prosecuted a 59-year-old landlord for illegal eviction after a tenant returned to the rented flat to find the locks changed and possessions removed. The landlord received a 56-day prison term suspended for six months when he was sentenced in December 2015.

Trafford Council prosecuted a landlord for illegally evicting a family and making them homeless. Following a trial he was sentenced on December 22 and fined £3,500 and ordered to pay the Council's costs.