Jail sentence for rogue landlord

ALANDLORD in Bristol has been jailed for the “deplorable” way he treated his tenant after she asked him to give her notice before visiting her home in the future.

In a prosecution brought by Bristol City Council, magistrates heard a tenant found her landlord, Kevin De Carteret, had turned up unannounced and was using the bathroom in her house.

When she asked him to give the legal 24-hour notice next time, he reacted so badly, it led to the council prosecuting him for the way he treated her.

He confronted the tenant and handed her an illegal eviction notice.

Then while she struggled to find somewhere else affordable to live with her dog, he threatened to remove the fridge, cancelled the cleaner who cleaned the communal areas in the property and changed the rules so no pets were allowed in the property in an effort to try to illegally force the tenant out.

De Carteret, 42, of Cottrell Road in Bristol, was taken to Bristol Magistrates’ Court by Bristol City Council and was prosecuted as a rogue landlord. He was found guilty of breaching the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and was jailed for eight weeks.

The cabinet member for housing,

Cllr Tom Renhard said he was pleased to see the prison sentence.

“This kind of behaviour is deplorable, and I was glad to see a strict sentence handed out in court,” he said.

“Having a safe and secure roof over our heads is key to ensuring we all have the best possible opportunity to live a happy and healthy life and that is why we continue to do all we can to protect people in the private rented sector. We want to make sure that people renting properties across the city can feel confident that their home will be safe and secure, with clear standards for what this looks like and routes to raise concerns where property conditions and their management are falling short.

“This is why we are running a consultation on proposals to introduce new property licensing schemes in Bristol. We believe that licensing will help further improve the quality and management of private rented properties across the city.”