Eviction

Landlords must follow legal procedures to evict tenants. The procedure used depends on the type of tenancy you have and may involve court action. The pages below explain the eviction procedure for the most common types of tenancy.

You can also find out what to do if your landlord doesn’t follow the right procedure, illegally evicts or harasses you.

If you own your own home and your lender is trying to evict you for mortgage arrears, visit our section on mortgage repossession.

If you are being evicted, the sooner you seek advice, the better.

For urgent advice please call our expert housing advice helpline on 08000 495 495

or, for non-urgent enquiries please use our email advice service. An adviser will aim to reply to emails within five working days.

Advice near you

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Emergency laws have been introduced in Wales to protect tenants from eviction for a temporary period.

From 29 September 2020, most tenants in Wales are entitled to 6 months’ notice before their landlord can start court action to evict them. This includes :

assured shorthold tenants
assured tenants
regulated tenants
secure council tenants
introductory tenants
demoted tenants.

You could be given a shorter notice in some cases. For example if you’re facing eviction for antisocial behaviour.

What if I received a notice from my landlord before the 29 September 2020?

Most private or housing association tenants who got an eviction notice between 26 March 2020 and 23 July 2020 were entitled to 3 months’ notice
Most private or housing association tenants who get an eviction notice between 24 July 2020 and 28 September 2020 were entitled to 6 months’ notice
Most council tenants who got an eviction notice between 26 March 2020 and 28 September 2020 were entitled to 3 months’ notice.

What if my landlord has already started court proceedings to evict me?

Some court cases were put on hold between March and August 2020. If your landlord started court proceedings before 3 August 2020 but has not yet obtained a possession order they will need to send a notice to you and to the court to re-start the case. This is called a ‘Reactivation Notice’. In the notice they must give information to the court about the impact coronavirus has had on you and your family.

You will be contacted by the court if this happens and you will be told if there is to be a court hearing. The hearing might be dealt with by video or audio link.

You should still pay your rent while you are waiting to be contacted by the court. Make sure you tell your landlord about the affect that coronavirus has had on you and your family. Do this in an email or text and keep a copy so that you can show this to the court if asked.

Can I be evicted during the pandemic?

Courts are open to deal with repossession hearings but bailiffs are NOT currently able to carry out evictions, except in limited circumstances.

This means that even if your landlord has obtained a possession order from the court, bailiffs will not currently be able to evict you from your home.

There are some exceptions, including cases of anti-social behaviour, trespass or domestic violence.

Preventing eviction

If you are facing eviction, you might be able to take action to change the situation.

Private tenants

Private landlords don’t always need a reason to evict you but they usually have to follow special legal procedures.

Housing association tenants

If you are threatened with eviction by a Housing Association, speak to an adviser immediately. Whatever type of tenancy you have, a Housing Association should only evict its tenants as a last resort.

Council tenants

The procedure the council must follow to evict a tenant depends on the type of tenancy you have. If you are threatened with eviction for any reason, speak to an adviser immediately.

Court action

This section explains what happens if you are renting your home and your landlord applies for a court order to evict you.

Harassment and illegal eviction

Harassment or illegal eviction by a private landlord is a criminal offence. There are many different types of harassment and there are steps you can take to stop it.

Mobile homes

If you rent a mobile home or you own a mobile home, and rent a pitch to station it on, you might have some protection against being evicted.

We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact 08000 495 495.

This page was last updated on: January 14, 2021

Shelter Cymru acknowledges the support of Shelter in allowing us to adapt their content. The information contained on this site is updated and maintained by Shelter Cymru and only gives general guidance on the law in Wales. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of the law.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)