Well after an awful few months my daughter was looking forward to moving back into her rented house but the landlord came round to see them today and started shouting at them and calling all sorts of nasty names and then started to assault my daughters boyfriend :o

They've rented before and have never had any problems until they took this house in Todwick and an electrical fault in a lamp left in the property set fire to it. My daughter was 37 weeks pregnant at the time. Agent found them some temp accomm until house was made habitable again - landlord has had it all done on his insurance but now he's decided he wants to put the rent up mid-way through their tenancy agreement and because they've refused to pay the increase he's just really lost the plot :loopy: They lost just about everything they owned in the fire. They found out this morning that their baby has got heart problems and then this afternoon the landlord came round shouting the odds and threatening all sorts. How can people be so totally nasty :rant:

Meant to add: Please don't even think of renting the house on the main road in Todwick (up with 1st Field) unless you fancy having a raving loony as a landlord!

:( thats terrible

Bloody hell Bonny! what planet is this guy on? :shocked:

are they taking this matter further?

what did he kick off about in the first place? :shocked:

Basically the landlord has had the house re-furbished (through his insurance) and also had the full rent paid for the whole time the house has been done up. BUT, the insurance didn't cover the carpets which he is having to pay for himself. So, he wants to increase the rent by £55 month to cover the money he's having to pay out for carpets.

However, the fire was caused by faulty wiring in a lamp the landlord left in the property, and my daughter has lost virtually all of her posessions. We got some very helpful advice from the Sheffield Tenancy Liaison Officer who told us that the landlord cannot increase the rent during the 6 months agreement and that agreement is still valid. We quoted this to the agent (who has obviously relayed it to the landlord) and he's just gone beserk. We'd been told by the agent that the property would be ready by the end of the week (last week) and then when we checked for a moving in date we were told that there was now a delay and they had no idea when it would be ready. Then we found out the landlord had changed the locks too. (There's 2 months left on the tenancy agreement so what are you betting that the 'delay' will last 2 months?).

From what I understand this amounts to illegal eviction - harassment, threats of and actual violence and changing the locks. Sheffield Council have advised us that this is a criminal offence and looking it up it appears that there is an unlimited fine and up to 2 years imprisonment if found guilty. BUT again a problem, the police have told us that it isn't criminal law that it's civil law and we need to see a solicitor. They're not entitled to legal aid and can't afford a solicitor. These 'no win no fee' people are only interested if there's a personal injury claim.

Sheffield Council have been brilliantly helpful but they can't get involved because we come under Rotherham - who haven't been as helpful.

Please name and shame both the letting agent and the landlord...

Hi Bonny from what i have read above, i am assuming your daughter has been signed up to an assured shorthold tenancy. If the landlord has changed the locks, then this is deemed as unlawful eviction as your rights as a tenant have been breached (these are set out in the AST, under the landlords obligations, normally this is something like possession 'the landlord agrees to give the tenant possession of premises at the commencement of the tenancy'. Without a solicitor this landlord will get away with his actions. Keep trying with Rotherham MBC as i do feel should the case go to a civil court, they should deem it unlawful evictions as he is not allowed to change the locks during your fixed (6 months) period of tenure.

I think if the people who ask your whether you have had an accident recently changed it to have you been illegally evicted recently, they would make an absolute fortune with the cowboy landlords that i have come accross.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to get on to Rotherham Council again and push it with them. :thumbsup:

Please name and shame both the letting agent and the landlord...

Actually- please don't.

We have a forum rule against naming and shaming because this is a private forum and the site owner could not afford the potential legal problems that could come from allowing this to happen on his site.

Try Eddie at Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre. In the library, Wales Road, Kiveton Park. Tel: (01909) 773966. They do drop ins and know their stuff.

My daughter, partner and baby are going to be moving into a new house in the next few weeks and I can't wait to see them settled and start to live a normal life again after being in limbo for the past few months.

Needless to say, they're not renting with the same agent or landlord!

Rotherham Council are dealing with the case of illegal eviction and a solicitor is taking on the case for compensation as a result of the fire. The landlord in this case made a huge mistake by not making sure the electrical equipment in the house was safe. His actions since the fire have been bizarre and have made us seriously consider whether it was really an accident or if he had more to do with it than we first thought.

Perhaps there should be a 'reference' facility for tenants to check on landlords as there is for landlords to check on tenants?

Good, i hope you take the landlord to the cleaners, it will be about time!!