A Staffordshire landlord has been given a 24-week suspended prison sentence after magistrates heard she spent months bombarding a tenant with calls, texts and voice messages in an attempt to force her out of the property.
Stafford Borough Council said Janice Pope admitted pursuing a course of conduct contrary to the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 after the tenant reported damp, mould, a faulty boiler and poor ventilation at a semi-detached home in Stone. The court heard the harassment ran for nine months, with 35 attempted contacts on one day and 21 on another. Pope was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity and pay £754 in costs.
Harassment case followed repair complaints
The prosecution said the pressure campaign began after the council became involved over housing conditions. According to the council, the landlord sent abusive messages, threatened bailiff action and demanded a rent increase of about 25 percent while remedial works were still outstanding.
For landlords, the point is simple: disputes over repairs and rent cannot be handled through intimidation or side-stepping the legal process. Existing law already gives councils room to prosecute where a landlord tries to push a tenant out without using the courts. In serious cases, that can now mean a criminal conviction and a prison sentence, even if suspended.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on a Cornwall landlord fined nearly £7,000 for a harassment campaign, which showed councils are still willing to bring cases under long-standing housing laws rather than waiting for new Renters’ Rights Act powers. The latest prosecution suggests that trend is continuing as enforcement pressure builds.
Protection from Eviction Act still carries bite
The Stafford case is a reminder that landlords do not need to wait for the Renters’ Rights Act to face tougher scrutiny. The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 already makes harassment and unlawful eviction criminal offences, and councils can pursue cases where evidence shows a pattern of threats, pressure or repeated contact intended to make a tenant leave.
That matters because debate around rental reform can make it sound as if enforcement starts on 1 May. It does not. Many of the biggest legal risks for landlords already sit in existing rules on repairs, safety, deposits and possession. Landlords who treat complaints as a nuisance instead of a compliance issue are exposing themselves to costs, prosecution and reputational damage.
Propertymark recently used its response on sentencing for landlord offences to argue that penalties should stay proportionate and distinguish between rogue operators and responsible landlords. Cases such as the one outlined in Stafford Borough Council’s prosecution statement show why councils and courts still reserve their strongest action for conduct they see as deliberate.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re dealing with repair complaints: Keep communication factual, logged and professional, and separate it from any rent or possession issue.
- Watch for: Repeated calls, messages or informal pressure tactics that could be read as harassment if a dispute later reaches the council or court.
- Bottom line: Illegal eviction and tenant intimidation are not grey areas – they are enforcement risks with criminal consequences.
Editor’s view
This is not a grey-area compliance slip. It is the sort of conduct that gives ministers and councils ammunition for even tougher enforcement, while responsible landlords pick up the reputational cost. The lesson is blunt: when repairs or arrears become contentious, process matters more than frustration.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 28 April 2026
Sources: Stafford Borough Council, Cannock Magistrates’ Court
Related reading: Cornwall landlord fined nearly £7,000 for harassment campaign
