If your private rented sector tenancy is ending

We may be able to help you if you currently live in rented accommodation and your landlord has asked you to leave. 

It is important that you contact us as soon as your landlord asks you to leave so that we can provide the right help at the right time. 

We can provide help in a number of ways, including: 

• checking the landlord has served the correct notice to end the tenancy;
• taking action to resolve harassment and/or the threat of illegal eviction;
• negotiating with your landlord;
• helping you with court proceedings, including representing you at court (known as advocacy);
• providing financial help so you can stay in your home.
• helping you find a new property if the problems cannot be resolved. 

If you are in rented accommodation and have a tenancy agreement, your landlord must serve notice on you to end the tenancy and make you leave the property. The form of the notice will depend on the type of tenancy you have and the reason the landlord is asking you to leave. For example, the landlord is required to give different notice periods if they want you to leave due to rent arrears or if they want you to leave because they intend to redevelop the property. 

As soon as you receive a notice, you should contact us so that we can check it for you. If you have been served with a section 21 notice you can check whether it’s valid by visiting Citizens Advice website.

If you do not have a tenancy agreement, for example if you share accommodation with your landlord, you have fewer rights against eviction, but you should still get reasonable notice (usually 28 days). 

Even if your landlord’s property is repossessed by their bank because they have failed to pay their mortgage, the bank must still give you a notice period so you can find a new home. 

If the notice is correct

You do not have to leave the property immediately once a notice has expired. You have the right to remain in the property until the landlord applies to the court for a court order and warrant. 

This may give you enough time to resolve the problem or find a new home, but there will be court costs if you do this, and, if the issues with the tenancy cannot be resolved, you will still have to find a new home. 

Your landlord can start court action once the date on the section 21 notice has passed.  Ask your landlord to delay court action if you’re looking for somewhere else to live.  

If your landlord goes ahead with court action, the courts will award a possession order (in the case of an assured shorthold tenancy), which means that you will have a set period to leave your property; the exact time will be specified on the order, but it is generally around 28 days.

If you haven’t managed to move in this time, your landlord can return to court and request a bailiff’s warrant.  This is a notice of your eviction.  When the warrant is issued, it will specify a date and time for the eviction to take place. 

If you’re evicted before you find a new home 

Depending on your situation, we’ll either:

• Give you advice about finding a new home
• Offer you a short-term place to stay while you find a new long-term home.

If you have received a bailiff’s warrant, please let us know as soon as you can.  We will then be able to discuss options for temporary accommodation, if we haven’t already.  

Your case officer will keep in touch with you to let you know when you can expect to move, and you will receive a telephone call from our Temporary Accommodation Placements Team to arrange your placement.

If you’ve received a bailiff's warrant and you haven’t spoken to us before, please contact us immediately on 020 8496 3000.  You will be able to speak to a member of our Triage Team who will advise you on the next steps.

If we offer you temporary accommodation

This will be a short-term place to stay, and it may not meet all your household’s preferences.  You may need to:

• Move out of the borough or London
• Move at short notice multiple times
• Stay somewhere with limited cooking facilities
• Share with other people
• Rehome your pets

For information on temporary accommodation, please visit our Temporary accommodation website page. 

If the notice is not correct

If the notice is not correct, you should tell your landlord and insist on a valid notice. We can help you with this, or contact the landlord for you to explain the correct legal process. 

We will also see if there is any possibility that you can stay in the property, at least until you find a new home. If your landlord still wants you to leave and serves a corrected notice, we can work with you to help you find a new home. 

If your landlord does anything to harass you in your home or withdraw essential services, they may be breaking the law. Even though they own the property, they do not have the right to do this. 

Harassment can be anything a landlord does, or fails to do, that makes you feel unsafe in the property or forces you to leave, including: 

• repeatedly turning up at your home;
• letting themselves in without your knowledge;
• stopping services, like electricity;
• withholding keys;
• refusing to carry out repairs;
• anti-social behaviour by someone on the landlord’s behalf; or
• threats and physical violence. 

Your landlord may be guilty of unlawful eviction if: 

• you are not given the correct notice to leave the property;
• the locks are changed without your knowledge;
• you are evicted without a court order; or
• you are forced to leave the property with threats or violence. 

How can we help with harassment/unlawful eviction

Please contact us as soon as possible if you think your landlord is harassing you or trying to evict you unlawfully. We can negotiate with the landlord on your behalf to require them to do things properly. 

If your landlord is breaking the law, we may be able to prosecute your landlord. If this happens, you may also have a right to claim damages through the court. If you are experiencing physical abuse or threats, you should contact the police as soon as possible.