Tenants face eviction after council bans rogue landlord

Ms Steinhardt has been told to leave by 1 December

Tenants of a convicted rogue landlord are facing eviction after she was banned from letting.

Daisy Steinhardt, from Bedminster in Bristol, lives in one of 29 properties owned by Naomi Knapp, who lost an appeal against her ban in May.

"The institutions that are meant to protect us have failed," said Ms Steinhardt.

Bristol City Council said it had "no control" of how a landlord complies with a banning order.

Ms Steinhardt says she and her three housemates have been instructed to leave their house by 1 December.

Her landlord Ms Knapp was convicted of eight banning order offences in August 2022 over fire safety issues and poorly-maintained properties.

At the time, Bristol City Council said her tenants would "not necessarily have to leave their properties."

But Ms Steinhardt said she was given an eviction notice on 29 September.

"The council has a responsibility to look after people who live here, as a faceless institution it's making my life harder right now," Ms Steinhardt said.

The tenants have been given a section 21 order for two months' notice

One of Ms Steinhardt's housemates, Ara Keogh, only moved there in the summer.

They said: "I've moved from sublet to sublet, and finally had stable housing.

"To finally have this and now have it taken away is ridiculous.

"We had been assured that we would be unaffected by the council's actions," Mx Keogh added.

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said the council "sympathised" with the tenants.

"Our officers previously tried to work with [Naomi Knapp] for many, many years to improve the condition and the management practices of her properties without success.

"We were therefore forced to take action to tackle this rogue landlord, who rented out properties in poor condition, with fire safety issues, to protect people renting in the city.

"Council officers have provided advice to tenants who have been in contact with us, including signposting them to available legal advice."

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