Landlords not convicted after illegally evicting tenants in the UK

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
25 Dec 2023 11:08

A study by Safer Renting reveals that out of 8,748 illegal evictions, only 26 landlords were convicted of the crime.

A general view of houses in Stanley, England, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 (AP)

In England, landlords have abused the practice of illegally evicting tenants without notice, as authorities neglect reported cases and essentially allow them to get away with it.

Safer Renting, a program that protects tenants in such cases, conducted research revealing that an all-time high of 8,748 cases of illegal and sudden eviction was reported in 2022, marking a 12% increase from the year before. However, out of the multiple thousand landlords that have employed the practice, often violently and in attempts to steal the tenants' belongings, only 26 were convicted.

This means that out of all unlawful evictions, less than 1% of criminal landlords are convicted.

English officials, such as Labour MP Karen Buck, compared the practice to domestic abuse, saying it "takes place out of sight, involving violence. It is the most brutal of robberies."

Safer Renting’s second annual illegal eviction count published. 1 illegal eviction every 67 minutes 365 days a year. Project lead Roz Spencer on LBC 9:50am https://t.co/LCG4pst4lR
— Safer Renting (@SaferRentingCH) December 24, 2023

Tenant testimony: The law dismissed the crime

In some cases, according to The Observer, tenants witnessed their life-saving medications and passports being stolen, and while authorities had not mobilized to convict the culprits, tenants found themselves unable to get homeless support as a result of their missing identification documents.

The case of Majid Anwar was recorded, a chronically ill tenant who was forced out of his home while waiting for his surgery. He had been living in his flat for 4 years but was randomly and suddenly kicked out after his landlord had given the house to relatives visiting for the holidays.

His landlord took the opportunity to change the locks of the house when Anwar was away, essentially stealing all of his belongings. Anwar resorted to camping out of the house for days before his landlord finally replied. He also tried contacting authorities but was dismissed as it was considered a "civil matter".

Anwar claims that the landlord knew the law wouldn't convict him, which prompted him to abuse his power, leaving Anwar homeless and on antidepressants.

“My landlord was so sure the law wouldn’t protect me,” he said. “And that is what happened.”

Authorities taking a step forward

Illegal eviction is a frequent practice due to the government's lack of prosecution and because tenancy relations officers, who are supposed to recognize when a tenant is being victimized by his landlord, are not efficiently and properly employed by the councils.

The Metropolitan Police, to counter the crimes, has ordered officers to start actively arresting landlords when cases of illegal eviction are reported. Previously, the institution had concerns about officers being biased and enabling this behavior, which also contributed to the arrest warrants of criminal landlords.

The government has also proposed a renter's reform bill that would facilitate convicting criminal landlords, but Safer Renting expressed concerns about the accuracy of this bill. Meanwhile, it's being kept until they finish making changes to the legal system, which might take a while.

“Through our renters’ [reform] bill, we are placing a duty on councils to protect tenants against landlords who illegally evict and harass them. We are also giving them new powers to issue fines to landlords of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution,” a spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in a statement.