A council has fined its first landlord for serving an illegal Section 21 eviction notice since new laws came into force.

The Renters Rights Act scrapped Section 21, meaning landlords must now have a legally valid ‘possession ground’.

The landlord was fined £3,600 for serving a Section 21 notice after May 1, when these notices could no longer be used. 

By paying Gateshead council within 28 days, the landlord qualified for a 15% discount and paid £3,060 to the council.

The council says: “Our aim is to help landlords understand their responsibilities and comply with the law. However, where breaches of housing legislation are identified, we will take appropriate enforcement action.

“A notice setting out the proposed fine was issued, giving the landlord an opportunity to respond before we confirmed the penalty … with payment received from the landlord on 8 September.”

And the authority claims “other cases are being considered.”