Landlord taken to court after changing locks

A landlord has been taken to court by the council after he changed the locks to kick out tenant who failed to pay rent at his house.
Lee Challinor, of Stoke-on-Trent was found guilty of illegally evicting the victim after a ‘breakdown’ in the relationship.
Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that the resident returned to the property to discover he could no longer get in, effectively making him homeless.
Challinor, 37, claimed he was living at the property at the time of the incident. This means he would not have needed to obtain a court order to evict the tenant.
However, a trial heard that Challinor, had been described as a live-out landlord on a website listing rooms to rent.
Magistrates handed Challinor a 12-month community order. He must also complete 120 hours’ unpaid work and pay £1,422 in costs and an £85 victim surcharge.