Evicting tenants in England
Harassment and illegal evictions
It’s a crime to harass or try to force your tenants out of a property without following correct procedures. Your tenants might have the right to claim damages through the court if you do not follow the rules.
What is harassment?
Harassment can be anything you do or do not do that makes your tenants feel unsafe in your property or forces them to leave.
Harassment can include:
- stopping services, like electricity
- withholding keys, for example if there are 2 tenants in a property but you’ll only give one key
- refusing to carry out repairs
- antisocial behaviour by someone on your behalf, for example your friend moves in next door to your tenants and causes problems
- threats and physical violence
Illegal eviction
You may be guilty of illegal eviction if you:
- do not give your tenants the right amount of notice to leave your property
- change the locks
- evict your tenants without a court order