Illegal Eviction & Harassment
Contents
Illegal Eviction
Police Involvement
Harassment
Criminal Penalties
Overview
Illegal eviction and harassment are significant violations of tenant rights. These actions, which include forcibly removing tenants or creating unbearable living conditions, are prohibited in housing law. The law ensures that evictions are fair, transparent, and legally executed, protecting tenants and maintaining rental market integrity.
Illegal Eviction
A landlord may be guilty of an illegal eviction in the following circumstances:
fails to give you the right amount of notice to leave your property
change the locks
evicts you without a court order
Police Involvement
An illegal eviction is a civil offence.
You must instruct the landlord that they cannot lock you out of the property, they must go through the legal eviction process.
The Police can arrest the landlord or agent under Section 7 of the Criminal Law Act, if they are inside the property and refusing you entry.
Harassment
It’s a crime for your landlord to harass or try to force you out of a property without following correct procedures.
You might have the right to claim damages through the court if your landlord does not follow the rules.
Criminal Penalties
Unlawful eviction or a harassment offences can be tried in a Magistrates Court or the Crown Court.
The maximum penalty in a Magistrates Court is 6 months in prison and/or a fine of not more than £5000. In the Crown Court it is 2 years' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.