A landlord has been hit with a fine after chucking out his tenant's belongings and changing the locks.
Antanas Danilevicius had fallen behind with his rent last February, when he returned home from work and saw all his belongings, including his young son's toys, strewn across the pavement outside the property in Sheffield.
Landlord Antanas Klibavicius packed up everything belonging to Danilevicius, including his TV, clothing, bedding and a collection of coins, before changing the locks.
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A landlord must obtain special permission from the courts before they can evict a tenant and, although being in rent arrears is a valid reason for an eviction, landlords still need to follow the proper process before kicking someone out.
This process involves sending out notices, applying for the court order mentioned above and getting a warrant for possession.
As Klibavicius didn't follow the rules, Sheffield City Council launched proceedings against the 40-year-old, who appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court where he admitted one charge of unlawful deprivation of occupation.
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He was fined £416 ($591) and was told to pay £650 ($923) in compensation to this former tenant. He was also made to pay court costs amounting to £1,183 ($1,680).
Janet Sharpe, Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services at Sheffield City Council, said: "We will not tolerate the harassment or illegal eviction of private tenants in this city as this case shows.
"We have one of the most robust approaches to tackling illegal evictions of any city in the country and we have a zero-tolerance approach to those who intimidate and exploit vulnerable tenants.
"Everyone deserves to live in safe, good quality housing regardless of whether they rent or own their home. I am determined to carry on clamping down on the very small minority of bad landlords in Sheffield who treat their tenants badly and tarnish the private rented sector."
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, changes were brought in to better protect tenants, with landlords required to give six months notice period before telling tenants to leave.
However, this will go back down to four months on 1 June as we head out of lockdown.
There is currently also a ban on bailiff-enforced evictions, which is due to end on 31 May.
Topics: UK News