Fake bailiffs used by landlords to trick tenants out of homes as charity warns of 'wild west' rental market

5 June 2023, 08:54

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By EJ Ward

Private security guards dressed like court bailiffs are tricking people out of their rented homes, a charity has warned.

Safer Renting warned rogue landlords were increasingly turning to private security companies to evict tenants without a court order.

"We've seen a spate of cases this year where landlords have used uniformed security guards to give the impression of a court-sanctioned eviction," said Ben Reeve-Lewis, co-founder of the charity-run tenancy relations service, which operates in London.

"In the past, criminal landlords may have sent heavies to throw tenants out, but this is the first time in 33 years of working in the private rented sector that I've seen fake bailiffs kitted out with stab vests, radios and handcuffs. Some of them even have vans with police-like livery on the side."

Only court-appointed bailiffs can legally evict people from their homes. Anyone else using force or changing locks is committing a criminal offence.

Last month the government launched its Renters (Reform) Bill to give tenants and landlords new rights, with no-fault evictions set to be banned.

Illegal evictions and harassment are on the rise due to escalating living costs, which erode renters' incomes, and a shortage of housing that allows landlords to increase rents.

Data compiled by the charity from various sources, including Citizens Advice, Shelter, and local authorities, reveals that there were over 8,000 cases of illegal eviction or harassment in 2022—a rise from nearly 7,800 cases in 2021 and over 6,900 cases in 2020.

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In the charity’s most recent case, a landlord used a private security firm to help evict two families, including a woman and her autistic son, in east London.

The landlord ordered the families to leave even though they had a tenancy agreement and then changed the locks while two security staff stood guard. “The families are in temporary accommodation now but the woman is having trouble getting her son to his special school as she is further away,” said Reeve-Lewis.

“We’re taking legal action to get them back in. These kinds of cases shock the general public, but we see it all the time.”

This mother has been evicted after complaining about mould

John-Luke Bolton, who co-produces the charity's annual illegal eviction report, expressed concern over the lack of enforcement, stating that there is now an illegal eviction occurring every hour of every day. He highlighted the tendency of the

“There is now an illegal eviction taking place every hour of every day,” said Mr Bolton.

“The rental market looks more and more like the wild west because there is so little enforcement.

“The police too often side with the landlord or treat it as a civil dispute. Councils rarely take action because they lost so many specialist tenancy-relations officers during austerity. And it’s hard to take civil action because tenants can’t claim legal aid for eviction cases.”