What is landlord harassment?
It is illegal for your landlord to harass you or force you to leave your home. A landlord or agent who does so may be liable for prosecution, which could result in a prison sentence or a fine, along with civil damages.
Harassment can be any action your landlord or agent takes to deliberately disrupt your life or make you leave your property. Examples of this can include:
- Threats, abuse or physical violence
- Entering your home without permission or sending builders in without notice or at anti-social hours
- Withholding or restricting services such as access to hot water or heating
- Preventing access or withholding keys
- Anti-social behaviour from the landlord’s Agent
- Failure to carry out repairs, or non-completion of repairs
- Forcing the occupier(s) to sign agreements which take away their legal rights
- Opening your post or removing your belongings
- Abusing you because of your gender, race, sexuality, religion, or disability.
What is illegal eviction?
Any action which stops a tenant accessing all or part of the property, without first following the correct legal steps, is an unlawful eviction. Examples of this can include:
- Changing the locks
- Forcing you to leave by threatening or harassing you
- Using physical violence to remove you from the property
- Stopping you from accessing certain parts of the property
- Forcing you to leave your home because the harassment is so bad (see above).
How do I report harassment or an illegal eviction?