‘Rogue’ Cheltenham landlord who locked tenant out of home is …
A landlord from London has been prosecuted after she locked a tenant out of their home in Cheltenham. Cheltenham Borough Council[1] has prosecuted ‘rogue’ landlord, Lidia Szopinska, for the second time for illegally evicting a tenant.
Lidia Szopinska let a room in a house she owns in Cheltenham to a tenant in January 2022 for a period of three months. Terms of the tenancy were agreed but were later changed.
These changes included when the tenant could and couldn’t stay, and what was included in the rent. Following an argument with the Ms Szopinska, the tenant ended up having to leave the property.
Ms Szopinska then went on to change the door code meaning the tenant was unable to access his room. The tenant only stayed at the property for two weeks – instead of the agreed three month period. Ms Szopinska didn’t return the deposit or provide a refund for the time the tenant was not at the property.
Ms Szopinska appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on Wednesday, May 10, and received a fine of £210, a victim surcharge of £84 and was also ordered to pay prosecution costs and compensation totalling £7,540.60.
Cllr Martin Horwood, council member for customer and regulatory services, said: “We are committed to ensuring that all private landlords operate on a level playing field and officers will support those who operate professionally, while taking enforcement action against rogue landlords.”
Mark Nelson, enforcement manager at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “When relationships break down between tenants and landlords there are strict legal processes that have to be followed and council officers are here to help both sides move forward.
“No landlord can act outside the law and we will do everything in our power to ensure tenants can live in rented properties safe in the knowledge that we are there to protect them from illegal eviction.”
The prosecution for offences relating to the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 was brought by the Private Sector Housing Team at Cheltenham Borough Council with the assistance of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit.
It is a criminal offence under s1(2) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 when a person unlawfully deprives or attempts to deprive a residential occupier of any premises of his occupation of those premises without reasonable cause to believe that the occupier had ceased to reside at the premises.
Members of the public can contact the council with any concerns about illegal evictions or tenancy issues by email [email protected][3] or the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit by email at [email protected][4].
References
- ^ Cheltenham Borough Council (www.cheltenham.gov.uk)
- ^