Landlord News

Illegal Evictions Not Tolerated

A jury has heard that two landlords in Peterborough illegally evicted their tenant buy changing the locks on the rental property after he had lost his job and was unable to pay the rent.

A married couple, Parveen Akhtar and Mohammed Zahid, forced the man out of the flat before then pleading not guilty to illegally evicting him. They were however both found guilty following a trial this week at Huntingdon Crown Court.

It was heard that the tenant had requested financial help from Peterborough City Council to allow him to pay the rent, however Akhtar would not sign the necessary forms.
 
Furthermore, Zahid had changed the locks without warning the tenant which then led to the tenant complaining to the city council who decided to prosecute the landlords.

A tenancy relations officer, Jo Fowkes, said that the couple were given a chance to follow guidelines before the action was taken by the city council.

Ms Fowkes has been quoted saying: “We urged the landlady, Akhtar, to allow the tenant back into the property but the request was refused which resulted in the tenant being homeless. Akhtar failed to follow the due legal process which allows landlords to evict tenants legally.”

Councillor Peter Hiller added: “We have a statutory duty to take action against landlords who illegally evict their tenants. There is a legal process all owners and agents are obliged to follow should they want to recover possession of a property from their tenants. Owners, letting agents and rent collectors should be familiar with the process and should obtain legal advice before considering evicting someone.”

He then said that the case served as an example to others.