Landlord fined for illegal eviction in Swansea

Landlords in Swansea have been urged to follow proper procedures if they intend to evict a tenant living in their property.

Swansea Council is advising landlords to make sure they carry out evictions legally or they could face court proceedings.

The advice follows a recent case in Swansea Magistrates where Sean McManus of Weig Fach Lane pleaded guilty under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to unlawful eviction of his tenant from a house he rented out in Manselton.

The case involved Mr McManus removing the belongings of his tenant, including furniture, from the property and dumping it on the drive of the tenant’s parents’ house.

Mr McManus was fined £105 and was ordered to pay £1000 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

David Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants to ensure that any time an eviction is required, that it is done legally.

“This is only achieved by a landlord obtaining a possession order through the courts. In this case this was not done and resulted in a complaint to the council by the tenant.

“Our role is to ensure that tenants’ rights are protected in cases such as this. Hopefully this latest case will send out a message to landlords that they need to act within the law or face consequences.”