Unlawful eviction: your rights explained
Your landlord cannot simply make you leave. Evicting you without the proper legal process, or harassing you to go, is a criminal offence. Here is what the law says and what to do.
Get help with my complaintYour rights around unlawful eviction
It is against the law for your landlord to evict you without following the correct legal process. Forcing you out, changing the locks, removing your belongings, or harassing you to make you leave are criminal offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
Since 1 May 2026, "no-fault" Section 21 evictions have been abolished by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. To end your tenancy against your wishes, your landlord must now have a specific legal ground and, if you do not leave, get a possession order from the court. Only county-court bailiffs can carry out an eviction.
As a social housing tenant you usually have strong security of tenure (a secure tenancy if you rent from a council, or an assured tenancy from a housing association). If your landlord threatens or attempts an unlawful eviction, you have the right to stay and to take action.
Key facts
Your landlord needs a legal ground and a court order
Since Section 21 was abolished, a landlord can only seek possession using a specific legal ground (a "Section 8" ground for assured tenants, for example serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, or the landlord needing to move in). If you do not leave, they must apply to the court and prove the ground. They cannot lawfully evict you themselves.
Only county-court bailiffs can evict you
Even with a court possession order, only court-appointed bailiffs can physically remove you, on a date you are told in advance. A landlord who changes the locks, removes your belongings, or shuts off your gas, electricity or water to force you out is committing a criminal offence.
Harassment is illegal
Threats, intimidation, withholding services, or repeated unwanted visits intended to make you leave are unlawful harassment under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. You do not have to put up with it.
Councils can now penalise landlords who evict illegally
Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, local councils can issue civil penalties against landlords who evict tenants illegally, in addition to any criminal prosecution.
What to do step by step
Keep a written record at every stage. Dates and written communications are your most important evidence.
Do not leave the property
If you leave, it can be much harder to get back in and to enforce your rights. Unless a court has ordered you to go and bailiffs have a date, you are entitled to stay.
Call the police and the council
Illegal eviction and harassment are crimes, so call the police on 101 (or 999 if you are in immediate danger). Also contact your council’s Tenancy Relations or Housing Options team, who deal specifically with illegal evictions.
Keep evidence
Save texts, emails, letters, and notes of what was said and when. Photograph any locked doors or removed belongings. Note the names of any witnesses. This evidence supports both a criminal case and any compensation claim.
Ask the court for an emergency injunction
If you have been locked out, you can apply to the county court for an emergency injunction ordering the landlord to let you back in. A housing solicitor, Citizens Advice, or Shelter can help you do this quickly.
Raise a formal complaint and escalate
Make a formal complaint to your landlord about their conduct, and escalate to the Housing Ombudsman if it is not resolved. Use TenantSafe to generate a correctly-referenced letter.
Get a formal complaint letter in minutes
TenantSafe produces a correctly-referenced complaint letter based on your specific situation, with the right legal references, the right deadlines and the right tone. It is free and takes less than 10 minutes.
Generate my free complaint letterCommon questions
Can my landlord evict me without going to court?+
No. To evict you against your wishes, your landlord must have a legal ground and, if you do not leave, obtain a possession order from the court. Forcing you out without this is a criminal offence.
My landlord changed the locks while I was out. What do I do?+
This is an illegal eviction. Call the police and your council’s Tenancy Relations team straight away. You can apply to the county court for an emergency injunction to be let back in. Keep evidence of what happened.
What is a Section 8 notice?+
It is the notice a landlord must serve to begin lawful possession proceedings against an assured tenant, setting out the specific legal ground they are relying on. The notice period depends on the ground. A notice on its own is not an eviction: only a court can order possession, and only bailiffs can carry it out.
Is it harassment if my landlord keeps threatening me to leave?+
Yes. Threats, intimidation, cutting off services, or repeated unwanted pressure to make you leave are unlawful harassment under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Report it to the police and your council.
Who can actually carry out an eviction?+
Only county-court bailiffs, acting on a possession order, on a date you are notified of in advance. Your landlord cannot lawfully remove you themselves.