A Birmingham landlord has been fined £700 and order to pay
£1,500 costs for illegally evicting a family of nine.
Mirsad Solakovic, 37, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham was found guilty
of unlawfully evicting the family from a property in Bordesley Green, in
contravention of Section 1(2) of The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 on 2
October 2013.
Solakovic had asked his tenants to leave without serving the
appropriate notice. Birmingham City Council wrote to the agent who was managing
the property at the time outlining the legal procedure to be followed to obtain
possession. Although the agent served a new notice giving the tenant two months
to leave, Solakovic took ‘the law into his own hands’ and changed the locks.
When one of the sons living at the property came home later that day he
discovered the locks had been changed and called the police. Solakovic refused
to let the family return. Instead he allowed one family member to enter and
retrieve a few belongings, and then crammed the rest into the garage.
Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhood
management and homes, Cllr John Cotton, said: “When relationships break down
between tenants and landlords there are strict legal processes that have to be
followed and council officers are here to help both sides move forward. In this
case, Mr Solakovic took the law into his own hands and unlawfully evicted a
family. Today’s prosecution sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate
this behaviour and will pursue those landlords who operate outside the law.”
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