A landlord who harassed his tenant in a bid to force them to move out of their property has been fined £2,000 after pleading guilty to four offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

Nicholas Rawlings of St Breward in Cornwall committed the offences between December 2024 and May 2025.

His actions included writing to the tenant in December 2024 to claim he would be moving back into the property despite having served no valid Section 21 notice, and sending a further letter in January 2025 stating that a new tenant would be moving in at the start of March that year.

These communications caused the tenant significant distress, and they sought help from Cornwall Council.

Rawlings then undermined formal tenancy advice provided by the coincil by copying the tenant into emails that challenged the guidance. 

In addition, he issued an invalid Section 21 eviction notice during the tenancy.

After pleading guilty, Rawlings was fined £500 for each offence (£2,000) and ordered to pay an £800 victim surcharge and £4,183.20 in prosecution costs, totalling £6,983.20.

A council spokesperson says: “The landlord’s behaviour involved in this case was deeply inappropriate, deliberate and sustained, and the conduct had a significant impact on the health of the tenant and her children.

“Landlords cannot invent their own eviction processes or use threats, misinformation or financial pressure to force tenants out.”