Get help with eviction
Overview
You can get help from us if you are renting privately and:
- your landlord has asked you to leave your home
- you are having a disagreement with your landlord and need help so you can stay in your home
When you cannot be evicted
Your landlord cannot make you leave your home by threatening you.
It is illegal for your landlord or an agency to evict you from your home without following the correct steps.
Call us if you are homeless and have nowhere to stay tonight
Phone us on 0208 708 4002 if your landlord has evicted you and you have nowhere to stay tonight.
This is a landline telephone number.
We might be able to provide you with emergency accommodation. Find out more about temporary accommodation.
When you can be evicted
You might be asked to leave your home (evicted) in different ways depending on:
- the type of tenancy you have
- whether your landlord lives in the same home as you
- if you are renting your home from your landlord
Check your contract to find out what type of tenancy you have.
When your landlord lives in the same property
You can be asked to leave if your landlord is living in the same property as you and:
- your landlord has given you written notice of when to leave if your tenancy runs from month to month or week to week (a rolling tenancy)
- you are at the end of a fixed term tenancy even if your landlord has not given you notice
When you are renting your home on an assured shorthold tenancy
You can be asked to leave if you are renting your home on an assured shorthold tenancy and your landlord sends you:
- a section 21 eviction notice
- a section 8 eviction notice
- a section 21 and a section 8 eviction notice
Find out more about section 21 and section 8 eviction notices
Your landlord must provide a section 21 or section 8 notice as a first step if both of the following apply:
- they want to evict you
- you have an assured shorthold tenancy
You do not have to leave your home straight away when you get the notice.
Your landlord does not need to give you any reason for a section 21 notice. They could want to sell the property or move back in. Your landlord must give a reason for a section 8 notice. For example, if you have damaged the property or you have not paid your rent.
After sending you the eviction notice, your landlord will then need to get a court order. You still do not have to leave the property, even after the court order expires.
Contact us for help
Let us know as soon as you can if you are facing eviction by completing our online contact form.
We will help you by:
- checking whether you have a legal right to stay in the property
- trying to resolve any disagreements with your landlord
- giving you advice on finding somewhere else to live
More information
Find out more about evictions, including illegal evictions, in Shelter's guidance on evictions.
Contact Citizens Advice Redbridge for free and independent advice: