Landlord who dumped tenants’ belongings fined for illegal eviction
A private landlord who threw out a tenant’s belongings and changed the locks on the front door has been fined over the illegal eviction.
Antanas Danilevicius had fallen into rent arrears at the property in Basford Place, Sheffield.
He returned home from work in February last year to see his belongings, including his five-year-old son’s toys, strewn across the pavement.
His landlord, Antanas Klibavicius, had also packed up clothes, a TV, a vacuum cleaner, watch, bedding and collectable coins and put them outside.
Sheffield City Council launched proceedings against 40-year-old Klibavicius and he appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court where he admitted one charge of unlawful deprivation of occupation.
He was fined £416 and ordered to pay £650 in compensation to Mr Danilevicius.
He was also ordered to pay £1,183 in court costs.
Janet Sharpe, Director of Housing and Neighbourhood Services at Sheffield City Council, said: ‘We will not tolerate the harassment or illegal eviction of private tenants in this city as this case shows.
‘We have one of the most robust approaches to tackling illegal evictions of any city in the country and we have a zero-tolerance approach to those who intimidate and exploit vulnerable tenants.
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‘Everyone deserves to live in safe, good quality housing regardless of whether they rent or own their home.
‘I am determined to carry on clamping down on the very small minority of bad landlords in Sheffield who treat their tenants badly and tarnish the private rented sector.’
Source: Thanks msn.com