Rogue landlord cuts off utilities during illegal eviction
Milton Keynes magistrates fine rogue landlord £6,800 after he locks tenants out of their home.
A Milton Keynes landlord has been found guilty of an illegal eviction and ordered to pay £6,800 in fines and compensation after he cut off the gas and electricity supplies and then changed the locks in order to force out his tenants.
Landlord refused to engage
The court was told that, despite attempts to resolve the matter, the landlord refused to engage with the tenants, leaving them locked out of their homes with their belongings inside.
The newly homeless tenants then contacted Milton Keynes City Council, which stepped in to provide emergency accommodation before launching a full investigation and court proceedings.
Finding the landlord guilty, the magistrates ordered him to pay a £3,000 fine, £449.60 in costs, £2,150 in compensation to the tenants to cover emergency costs and unrecovered personal belongings, plus a £1,200 victim surcharge.
The council say the prosecution shows how seriously it takes cracking down on rogue landlords who exploit tenants and try to bypass housing law.
Tenants have rights and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect them.”
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Ed Hume, said: “Let this be a clear example that unlawful evictions will not be tolerated in Milton Keynes. Tenants have rights and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect them. I’m proud of the work colleagues did to support the tenants and ensure justice was served.
“The council works proactively to ensure landlords meet their legal obligations and tenants are protected.“
There have been accusations in the past, though, that the council has been soft on rogue landlords, with a Freedom of Information Act request revealing that despite more than 3,000 complaints over a five-year period, it had taken zero landlords to court.
Not condoning the landlord’s behaviour, but, as usual only one side of the story.
To get to that level of frustration, something went very seriously wrong with the tenancy and/or the process of possession which is not revealed in this account.
I can see more of this happening once RRB becomes law. Unless there is more support for landlords rather than constant vilification, landlords will take more risks to get their properties back.
Government has ignored landlords and the industry generally and, is sleep walking into a catastrophe in the prs of their own making.
You’re probably 100% right. I doubt the LL just turned up and locked out an A1 tenant that had paid the rent and looked after the house, but no mention of the circumstances as usual. The last possession order I looked at, the costs where nearly double this total fine. Which says it all about the failed system.