← Back to News
Unlawful Eviction – An Oxfordshire Landlord is ordered to pay £2,340
A West Oxfordshire landlord has been prosecuted by West Oxfordshire District Council for the unlawful eviction of a tenant.
Jaroslaw Piotrowski of Witney Rooms Ltd was prosecuted by Oxford Magistrates Court on Tuesday 11 November for illegally evicting Damien McClure at the property he rents to him at Fieldmere Close, Witney.
Piotrowski changed the locks preventing McClure accessing his accommodation and he failed to provide a key, despite numerous requests made by council officers on McClure’s behalf.
Piotrowski was fined £400, the maximum amount for this offence, and was ordered to pay £1,550 costs, £40 victim surcharge and £350 in compensation to McClure.
Cllr David Harvey, cabinet member responsible for private sector housing, said: “Landlords cannot ignore the law and assume they can evict tenants without going through the correct procedure. This case sends out a clear message that the council, when its advice and guidance is ignored, will use its powers to prosecute landlords who disregard the law and that we will provide assistance to anyone living in private rented accommodation facing similar issues.”
