Lawful eviction processes for tenants
Your landlord must follow strict procedures if they want you to leave their property, depending on the type of tenancy agreement you have and the terms of it. If they don’t, they may be guilty of illegally evicting or harassing you.
Rules for assured periodic tenancies (APTs) on or after 1 May 2026
On or after 1 May 2026, if you rent a property from a private landlord it will usually be an assured periodic tenancy.
Assured periodic tenancies must run on a rolling basis, for example, weekly or monthly. They cannot be for longer than a month at a time.
An assured periodic tenancy agreement cannot have an end date. A tenancy agreement with an end date is usually known as a ‘fixed-term tenancy’.
Your landlord can only evict you for certain reasons, for example:
- you have not paid the rent
- you are committing antisocial behaviour
- you have broken other terms of your tenancy
- your landlord or their close family needs to move into the property
- your landlord needs to sell the property
Your landlord cannot evict you to move in or sell the property within the first 12 months of your tenancy.
Your landlord must give you the proper notice to leave your home. The amount of time they will need to give you depends on their reason for giving notice.
If you do not leave at the end of the notice period
Your landlord must apply to the court for a possession order.
Your landlord will need to show that they followed the correct processes for tenancy deposits, including protecting it in a government-approved scheme. Read Stage 1 of the notices of possession guidance to check deposit rules.
If the court gives your landlord a possession order and you do not leave by the date in the order, your landlord must apply for a warrant for possession. This means bailiffs can evict you from the property.
Help and advice
Contact us if you are facing illegal eviction or think you have been evicted illegally. We can offer advice, support and investigate if an offence has been committed.
View our eviction advice for professionals.
Further information and advice is available from Shelter and GOV.UK