Bristol landlords’ £5,000 bill for illegal evictions and ignoring improvement notices

A landlord who harassed her tenants, turned up at the house unannounced and arranged viewings without their knowledge has been ordered to repay them more than £3,000.

Lucy Sherry was found to have breached the Protection from Eviction Act by harassing her tenants, aware that her behaviour would cause them to leave.

Following investigations by Bristol Council’s private housing rogue landlord unit, The First Tier Tribunal ordered Sherry to pay £3,080 back to the tenants along with £300 costs.

The court heard that these tenants had been handed an invalid notice to leave the property in an attempt to evict them, while she had also invaded their privacy, arranged viewings property without giving notice, ignored housing advice from Bristol City Council and sent harassing emails.  

Failure

In a second case in the city, another landlord – Charles Banda – was ordered to pay £1,569 back to Bristol Council for housing benefit payments he received relating to non-compliance with an improvement notice.

Banda failed to fix problems identified by the council in an Improvement Notice it served in November 2018 over leaking sewage pipes and taps in a property that was occupied by his elderly tenant. The council was then forced to complete the work itself.

Councillor Paul Smith, cabinet member for housing, says: “This repayment order shows how important it is for tenants to come forward and assert their rights. The council is dedicated to assisting tenants where help is needed. 

“If you’re a private tenant being harassed in your home or if you have been illegally evicted, then you may be able to claim your rent back and we urge more tenants to come forward.” 

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