If you want your lodger to move out
A lodger is someone who lives in your home - either for free or paying rent.
A lodger can be your friend, a family member or someone you don’t know. You’re their landlord even if you don’t have a written agreement.
If you have a problem with your lodger, you should try to find a solution before asking them to move out. If you want them to move out, you need to follow the correct legal process.
If your lodger refuses to let you enter your home, you should get legal advice.
If you’re in danger because of your lodger
Call 999 to report them to the police.
If you don’t feel safe but it’s not an emergency, call 101.
Giving your lodger notice to leave
The amount of notice you must give your lodger to move out usually depends on if:
- you share ‘living space’ with them - for example, a kitchen, living room or bathroom
- you can enter your lodger’s room without telling them first
Living space doesn’t include corridors, staircases, storage areas or entrances. You don’t share living space with your lodger if, for example, they live in your converted garage.
If you share living space with your lodger
You can give your lodger notice to move out verbally unless your agreement says it has to be in writing.
You don’t need a court order to evict your lodger but you can get one if you choose to.
For example, if they refuse to leave after the notice period has ended, you might choose to get a court order. This would let you use an enforcement officer to make your lodger leave.
You’ll have to pay the court costs upfront, so you should decide if getting a court order is right for you.
If you have an end date for your agreement
You can only evict your lodger if any of the following apply:
- the fixed-term you agreed has come to an end
- the agreement includes a ‘break clause’ - this lets you end it early but you still have to give the notice set out in the agreement
- you’re in England and the Home Office says your lodger doesn’t have the right to rent in the UK - you still have to give at least 28 days’ notice
- your agreement says it can end early if your lodger breaks certain terms - and they’ve broken the terms
If you’re evicting your lodger because they’ve broken a term, you still have to give them the amount of notice set out in the agreement.
If the fixed-term ended and you didn’t give your lodger notice, they’ll have a rolling agreement with no agreed end date. If this happens, you must follow the rules that apply to arrangements with no agreed end date.
If you didn’t agree an end date with your lodger
You must give your lodger ‘reasonable notice’ to move out. Sometimes reasonable notice could be a few days, but it’s more likely to be at least a few weeks.
If the agreement includes a notice period that’s longer than the minimum reasonable notice, you must give them the longer period of notice instead.
What’s reasonable depends on things like:
- how long your lodger has lived with you
- how often their rent is due - for example, if rent is due monthly, a month’s notice might be reasonable
- your lodger’s behaviour - for example, if they’ve damaged the property or been aggressive you might give less notice
Example
Andrea shares her living room, kitchen and bathroom with her lodger. Every 2 weeks she washes his bed sheets and cleans his room.
Andrea gave her lodger an agreement that runs from month to month.
The agreement says Andrea must give her lodger 2 months’ notice if she wants him to move out. This means 2 months is the correct notice period.
If Andrea hadn’t agreed on a notice period with her lodger, she would have to give him reasonable notice to leave instead.
If you didn’t agree an end date with your lodger and need permission to enter their room
The notice period should be the same as the ‘rent period’ - the rent period is the amount of time between rent payments. For example, if your lodger pays rent monthly, you must give them a month’s notice.
The notice is only valid if it ends on either the first or the last day of the rent period.
The start of the rent period depends on the date your agreement with your lodger began. For example, if the agreement began on the 2nd of the month, the end of the notice would need to be either the 2nd or the 1st of the month.
If you only share space like corridors or stairs with your lodger
You have to get an order from the court to evict your lodger.
You’ll have to pay the court costs upfront, but you can ask the court to make the lodger pay the costs back to you.
If you have an end date for your agreement
If you have a fixed-term agreement, you can only evict your lodger if any of the following apply:
- the fixed-term you agreed has come to an end
- the agreement includes a ‘break clause’ - this lets you end it early but you still have to give the notice set out in the agreement
- the Home Office tells you your lodger doesn’t have the right to rent in the UK - you still have to give at least 28 days’ notice
- your agreement says it can end early if your lodger breaks certain terms - and they’ve broken the terms
If you’re evicting your lodger because they’ve broken a term, you still have to give them the amount of notice set out in the agreement.
You also have to get an order from the court to evict your lodger.
If you didn’t agree an end date
You must give your lodger at least 28 days’ notice in writing if you want them to move out. If you don’t, the notice isn’t valid and they don’t have to leave.
If the rent period is longer than 28 days, you’ll have to give more notice - for example, if the rent is due monthly, you must give 1 month’s notice instead.
If you agreed on a notice period that’s longer than 28 days, you must give your lodger the notice you agreed on.
The notice is only valid if it ends on either the first or the last day of the ‘rent period’. The rent period is the amount of time between rent payments - for example, if your lodger has to pay rent monthly, their rent period is one month.
The start of the rent period depends on the date your agreement with them began. For example, if the agreement began on the 2nd of the month, the end of the notice would need to be either the 2nd or the 1st of the month.
You also have to get an order from the court to evict your lodger.
If your lodger refuses to move out
If you’ve given them the right notice, they usually have no legal right to be in the property any more.
If you share living space with your lodger
You can usually take action to make your lodger move out, as long as you don’t threaten or harass them. For example, you could change the locks while they’re out.
If you plan to take this type of action, you should get advice from a solicitor first - if you don’t follow the correct process to make your lodger leave, you might be doing something illegal.
You don’t need a court order to evict your lodger, but you can get one if they’re refusing to move out. This would let you use an enforcement officer to make your lodger leave.
You’ll have to pay the court costs upfront, so you should decide if getting a court order is right for you.
If you only share spaces like corridors or stairs with your lodger
Your lodger has to move out if:
- you’ve given them the right notice
- you have a court order to evict them
If they don’t move out by the date on the court order, you need to get a warrant from the court. The warrant lets you use an enforcement officer to make your lodger leave.
You’ll have to pay the court costs upfront, but you can ask the court to make the lodger pay the costs back to you.
If your lodger left any belongings behind
You should arrange a time that suits you and your lodger for them to collect their belongings.
You must keep the belongings safe for a reasonable amount of time. What’s reasonable depends on the situation - for example, if your lodger is unwell and can’t travel you should give them more time.
If your lodger owes you rent, you’re not allowed to keep their belongings to recover the money they owe unless you have a court order that says you can. You’ll need legal advice from a solicitor to get an order from the county court.
If your lodger hasn’t collected their belongings after a reasonable amount of time, you can get rid of them. If you don’t give your lodger reasonable time to collect their belongings, they might make a money claim against you in the county court.
If you paid for the storage or removal of their belongings, you might be able to get the money back from your lodger in the small claims court.
If your lodger paid a deposit
You’ll need to give your lodger’s deposit back to them.
You can take money from the deposit to:
- pay for any repairs - this doesn’t include wear and tear like worn carpets
- pay for something your lodger has damaged or taken - you should look at the condition and value of the original item to work out how much money to ask for
- cover any rent your lodger owes you
If you need to use their deposit, tell your lodger why. You should only use the money to pay for the problem and give them what's left from the deposit.
If you keep more of the deposit than you need, your lodger might take you to court to get the money back. You might have to pay the court costs too.
If the deposit doesn’t cover the amount you need or if your lodger didn’t pay a deposit, you should ask them for the money. If they refuse, you can take them to the small claims court.