Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that tenants are supported in taking action against landlords where illegal evictions occur.

Local authorities have powers to tackle illegal evictions. Local authorities can investigate offences of illegal eviction under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and prosecute where an offence has been committed.

In cases where the landlord has been convicted of acting illegally, they may be subject to a rent repayment order, a fine and/or imprisonment for up to two years. The landlord may also be subject to a banning order as unlawful eviction and harassment under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 is a banning order offence. This would result in the landlord being entered onto the Database of Rogue Landlord and Property Agents.