A mother and her child were safely returned to their home on a Friday evening after an urgent intervention by one of Barking and Dagenham Council’s Tenancy Relations Officers (TRO), who responded out-of-hours to stop an illegal eviction.
Despite the landlord and bailiffs acting on a court writ that did not name the lawful tenant, the eviction still went ahead - until the council officer stepped in to restore the family’s right to re-enter the property.
Upon arriving and reviewing the documents used by the landlord and bailiffs, the officer identified that the eviction had been carried out using a writ issued against an entirely different individual. The lawful tenant was not named anywhere in the notice, and the document did not include any reference to “occupants”.
Despite this, the locks had already been changed, leaving the tenant and her child without access to their home or belongings.
The officer contacted the landlady to instruct her to restore possession immediately. Following initial refusal, and after consulting her solicitor who agreed the eviction had been unlawful, the landlady cooperated.
To make sure the family was secure and back in the property the officer remained with them until 8.45pm
Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “This case shows exactly why our Tenancy Relations Officers are so vital. I would like to say a huge thank you to the officer as their swift action prevented a mother and her child from becoming homeless and ensured the law was upheld.
“We will not hesitate to intervene where landlords act unlawfully, and we will continue expanding our capacity to protect residents from illegal eviction and unsafe housing conditions.”
Further investigations showed that that the property is unlicensed and has previously operated as an unlicensed House of Multiple Occupation. The council’s enforcement team will now be taking the case on with further action expected.
The council’s Tenancy Relations team will be running weekly drop-in sessions at the Barking Learning Centre every Tuesday from 10am to 4pm, providing confidential advice and support on issues such as landlord harassment, illegal eviction and disputes over tenancy rights. Residents can book an appointment by emailing tenancyrelations@lbbd.gov.uk.