Protection against eviction

Landlord's Obligations

If you are living in residential property the law protects you against harassment and illegal eviction. It does this by making harassment and illegal eviction criminal offences and by enabling a victim to claim damages through the civil court. Landlord's obligations The law makes it an offence for a landlord to: • Commit acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of a tenant or anyone living with them. • Persistently withdraw or withhold services for which the tenant has a reasonable need to live in the premises as a home. • Make a tenant leave their home, or stop using part of it. • Do anything that stops a tenant doing the things they could normally expect to do. • Take someone's home away from him or her unlawfully. A person who is convicted by magistrates of an offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 may have to pay a fine or be sent to prison for six months, or both. If the case goes to the Crown Court, the punishment can be prison for up to two years, or a fine, or both.