tenants to take so-called ‘rogue landlords’ to civil court.

Nottingham council - which recently introduced one of the largest and most controversial selective licensing schemes in the country - now wants tenants to take so-called ‘rogue landlords’ to civil court.

This follows a court test case in which an illegally-evicted tenant was awarded over £12,500 in damages.

The recent prosecution brought by the council saw landlord Mohammed Azheem ordered by Nottingham magistrates to do 120 hours unpaid work as well as paying his tenant £1,000 in compensation. The tenant had been illegally evicted when her locks were changed while she was out.

This followed a series of breaches in the tenancy agreement, including Azheem and his father letting themselves into the property without notice and issuing threats to the tenant over rent.

The tenant took a case to civil court, supported by the council and Nottingham Law Centre; the court awarded over £12,500 of damages to the tenant, who it said was a vulnerable person who had suffered harassment and mental health problems as part of her ordeal.

Azheem was also ordered to pay £9,000 costs towards the Nottingham Law Centre.

Sally Denton from the Law Centre says: “This was a test case where we were able to work jointly with the City Council who were prosecuting the criminal case and so sets a precedent for further action. In many cases like this, it is difficult to prosecute because tenants are often vulnerable, reluctant to come forward to take on their landlord and may have language barriers or a lack of understanding over their rights.”

And a council spokesman adds: “I ... hope it will give any tenants in the private rented sector who are facing similar problems the confidence to come forward and tell us about what’s happening so that we can take the appropriate action to resolve the situation.”