Door lock shock
Question
I rent a room in a shared house. I came home one evening and found that my landlord had changed the lock on my door. There was a note on the door asking me to call a number and then someone would come round within five minutes with the key. They came an hour later. I was very angry about the situation.
Is it illegal for a landlord to change the locks without informing the tenant first? If it is, can I take legal action against him?
Answer
It must have been very distressing being locked out of your room. Firstly, it's important to establish what type of tenancy agreement you have, as this will affect your rights. If you are renting privately and your landlord lives elsewhere you are likely to have an assured shorthold tenancy. The following advice is based upon this.
Usually, your landlord cannot change the locks without your permission. Landlords do have a right to get access to the property to inspect it and do repairs, but only after giving reasonable notice. This may include the need to change locks as part of any repairs or home improvements.
If this was an isolated incident and was either a repair or improvement and your landlord simply failed to inform you then no offence will have been committed. It is important to remember that in future your landlord should give you reasonable notice if he wants to gain access to your room for any reason (unless it is an emergency).
If incidents like this continue to occur on a regular basis and your landlord is causing problems for you then they may be guilty of harassment, which is a criminal offence. Harassment includes things that stop you living peaceably in your home. There may be action you can take to prevent harassment.
If the same thing were to happen again then it could be that your landlord is trying to evict you illegally. Illegal eviction is a serious civil and criminal offence. If you think your landlord may be trying to evict you illegally get advice immediately from a local advice service.
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Question answered by Shelter
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