Harassment & Illegal Eviction
The majority of Landlords provide decent
accommodation, have a good relationship with their tenants and are
law abiding, however, if you find yourself in a situation where a
landlord behaves unreasonably you should seek advice
immediately.
It is unlawful for your landlord to make you
leave your premises by putting pressure on you, or by locking you
out. If your landlord does this to you, then contact Carlisle City
Councils Housing Advisor, the Community Law Centre or the Citizens
Advice Bureau immediately. If it is the evening or weekend and none
of these services are available, contact your solicitor or
telephone the police.
Quick court action by a solicitor can get you
back in and get the landlord to stop harassing you.
Harassment can take many forms, from threats
or acts of violence, to more subtle means by telephone calls or
visits late at night, or builder's works started but not
finished.
The Council can, and does prosecute landlords
for harassment, and/or unlawful eviction, but has no means of
reinstating a tenant to the premises.
The law says:- If your landlord is harassing
you in order to get you to leave your accommodation, or preventing
you from doing something you have a right to do, and he/she has
reasonable cause to believe (i.e. should know) that the harassment
is likely to get you to leave your accommodation, then your
landlord is committing an offence.
Always keep a record of each incident, with
dates and times and if necessary, photographs of unfinished works
or disrepair.