Eviction. What to do if you receive an eviction notice

Landlords can evict you if you do not pay rent arrears. They can also evict you for other things like antisocial behaviour.

UK-wide

If you have received an eviction notice, the most important thing is to act quickly. Do not ignore it. Speak to your landlord and try to come to an arrangement. You do not have to leave straight away.

On 1 May 2026, the rules on ‘no fault’ evictions changed. Please read our guide to rent arrears to find out more about your rights. If you are being made homeless, speak to our friends at Shelter who can support you with emergency advice.

When you receive an eviction notice, it usually means you have rent arrears of three months or more. This we know can be very worrying. This guide is designed to help you take the right action if you are facing eviction.

I have received an eviction notice

We understand it can be frightening. Do not panic. You do not have to leave your home straight away.

Read through the notice carefully so you understand what is happening and can deal with things in the best way.

Money worries?

Find out how we can help you.

Get help now

Checking your eviction notice

Look for important dates: These include the date the notice was issued and the date you must leave the property
Check the notice is valid, and that it gives a valid reason for eviction
Speak to your landlord and ask them to agree to you paying what you owe at a rate you can afford, if this is why you are being evicted
If you rent through the council or a housing association, contact them. They should provide extra support if you are at risk of being made homeless
It is also helpful to check your tenancy agreement for situations where you can be evicted

The rules about evictions from private rentals depend on where you live

England

You will receive a Section 8 notice of eviction if your landlord wants to take back the property. This is called "seeking possession"
The notice will explain why your landlord is asking for possession. These reasons are called "grounds"
Ground 8 is one of the reasons a landlord can use. It applies when you have rent arrears of three months or more
If your landlord uses Ground 8, they will usually have to give you at least 4 weeks' notice to leave, before they can apply to the court for a possession order
This could be extended to 6 weeks if there are exceptional circumstances
This notice will say why your landlord wants to evict you and when they can apply to court

Wales

You will receive a written notice of eviction
This will be followed by a possession order issued by the court, and if necessary, bailiff action

Scotland

You will get a ‘notice to leave’ listing the reasons why you have to leave and how long you have to move out
The notice period depends on how long you have lived there. It will either be 28 days or 84 days

Northern Ireland

You will receive a ‘notice to quit’ followed by a court order. Your notice period depends on how long you have lived there, ranging from 8 weeks to 7 months
If you are in a social tenancy, you will receive a ‘notice seeking possession.’ This gives you 28 days to leave the property before court action

I am being evicted and rent through a local council or housing association

You have stronger rights than someone renting privately.

You can only be evicted if your provider has tried other options such as extra support.

This includes:

Helping you apply for housing benefit, and
Helping you get free debt advice from an organisation like us

If you are being evicted by a local council or housing association, then it will only be because:

You owe more than three months rent
You have been accused of antisocial behaviour
You break your tenancy agreement

Extra money to help with rent arrears

If you receive the Housing Benefit part of Universal Credit, you might be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). This is extra money from your local council to help towards housing costs.

To apply for DHP, visit Gov.UK to find your local council and request a DHP claim form.

You might be able to get benefits to help pay your rent. Find out what you can claim using our online benefits calculator

I am behind on my rent and worry my landlord might evict me

Speak to your landlord or housing provider immediately.

It is important that you:

Make a budget and work out how much you might be able to repay
Try to come to a payment arrangement with them
Keep making regular payments

Worried about rent arrears and other bills? We can help. Get started with debt advice online.

Can I stop my landlord evicting me?

If you are behind on rent, the best way to stop being evicted is to get your landlord to agree to a new arrangement to pay what you owe.

Share your budget which shows what you can and cannot afford to pay
Make an offer of payment
Try to repay as much as you can
Make regular payments. You must keep to the new arrangement

We can help you with this if you come to us for debt advice.

My landlord is sending bailiffs to evict me. Can I stop this?

Your landlord can ask the court to send bailiffs to evict you if:

You did not leave your home by the date the court told you to
You did not keep to an agreement to repay your rent arrears

The bailiffs will send you an eviction notice. This will tell you the date and time they plan to evict you. You may be able to ask the court to stop or delay the eviction.

You will need to fill in a court form called an N244

What does an N244 form do

An N244 can be used to suspend or stop an eviction after a warrant of possession has been issued

You can send the N244 to the court at any time before the eviction. It is important to do this as soon as possible.

The court cannot stop an eviction if was ordered using ground 8. The court’s power will be limited. They can still delay, stay or challenge the possession.

For example, if a landlord has not followed the right process to try to evict you.

You should seek specialist advice from Shelter or legal advice if the eviction was ordered using ground 8.

How do I fill in the N244 form?

You can fill in the N244 form online or print it and fill it in by hand. Read our useful guide to help you fill in the form.

There is usually a £15 court fee to apply using an N244. If you cannot afford this, you may be able to get help with the fee. You can apply using an EX160 form.

What happens after I send the N244?

The court will tell you what happens next. You may be asked to go to a court hearing.

Keep checking your emails, texts and post for messages from the court.

It is important to go to the hearing if you are asked to. If you do not go, the court may decide to let the eviction go ahead.

Take these things with you:

A copy of your household income and spending
Your rent payment history
Your eviction notice
Any other letters or documents from the court

The hearing usually takes around 15 to 30 minutes.

The judge will decide whether the eviction should:

Go ahead
Be stopped or delayed, for example, if you can afford to repay your rent arrears each month

What if my landlord has not followed the right steps to evict me?

It is important to check that your landlord has followed the right legal steps. If they did not, you may be able to challenge the eviction. They should have:

Sent a valid eviction notice
Applied to the court for a ‘possession order’, if you have not left by the date on the eviction notice
Applied to the court for a ‘warrant of possession’, if you have not left by the date on the possession order

Keep copies of all letters, notices and tenancy agreements.

What if I am asked to go to court?

If you have not left the property by the date on the eviction notice, your landlord can start court action.

You will usually receive court forms, letting you know about a hearing date at your local court
It is important you attend this hearing so that you know if you will be able to stay in the property or if you have to leave
The court will usually give you a date by which you have to leave
If you do not leave the property by the date given by the court, the court may send bailiffs to forcibly remove you from the property

You can read more about the eviction process by visiting our friends at Shelter. They can help you prepare for this happening and explain what to expect.

Further support

Housing advice can be complex. It is best to talk to someone who specialises in the area.

England or Scotland: Contact Shelter. They have a telephone helpline and a website full of useful information.
Wales: Contact Shelter Cymru.
Northern Ireland: Contact Shelter NI for help with rent arrears or eviction.
Local support: Contact your local authority if you are at risk of homelessness because of eviction. Their housing department can advise you on applying for social housing or emergency accommodation.

Facing eviction for rent arrears?