Landlord’s prosecution must act as a ‘warning to ...

A landlord in Sheffield has been prosecuted for illegally evicting his tenant by simply giving him just a few hours notice to move out of his rental property before removing and changing his locks a few days later.

Suhail Mahmood, aged 30, of Main Road, Handsworth, was convicted at Sheffield’s Magistrates Court earlier this week under the Protection from Eviction Act.

Mahmood was ordered to pay £700 compensation to his tenant, as well as a £2,000 fine and £1,000 court costs, totalling £3,700.

This is the second prosecution under the Protection from Eviction Act within a week.

On 24 August, another landlord was given an electronically-tagged curfew order, meaning that he can’t leave his house after 9pm, and ordered to pay £650 in court costs, plus an £85 victim surcharge.

Councillor Jayne Dunn, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety at Sheffield City Council, said: “It’s not right that a landlord thinks it’s acceptable to give notice on their property and expect someone to move out within a matter of days. These are people’s homes and they need some security.

“We put a huge amount of time into clamping down on bad letting practices and I am determined to keep this up. Luckily we have some excellent landlords in our city and the vast majority meet their legal responsibilities.

“I want Mr Mahmood’s case to act as a warning to others – we can and will act.”

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