Evicting a Problematic Lodger

The information on this page is only relevant to landlords with lodgers in England & Wales.

Unfortunately dealing with problematic lodgers is always the risk when becoming a landlord. It can be an incredibly difficult time. But comparatively (compared to evicting a ‘tenant’), evicting a lodger is generally a lot quicker and easier.

Serving notice

If your lodger hasn’t really done anything wrong, but you would like them to leave because he/she is irritating you (for whatever the reason may be), you may want to refer to the article where serving notice to lodgers is covered.

Violence / Domestic abuse

If you’re experiencing a serious dispute with your lodger, which involves violence, or you believe there is an imminent threat of violence, you should contact the police and the lodger agreement should end immediately. If your lodger refuses to leave, the police should assist.

Rent Arrears

If your lodger has fallen into two months of arrears, most lodger agreements have a clause which states that the agreement ends. Refer to your lodger agreement for clarification.

However, you should still serve written notice after the two months of arrears have expired, informing your lodger to vacate.

Other reasons for eviction

Depending on how inappropriate your lodger’s behavior has been, depending on how serious the matter, you can still serve notice with 24hrs to a week’s notice. Make sure you always serve a written notice though, explaining your reasons for the short notice. Keep a copy for your own records, and make sure both are dated and signed.

Evicting with in the agreement terms

If you have legitimate grounds for eviction, you can serve notice early, even if the agreement doesn’t end for another 6 months.

Sample notices for lodgers in breach of agreement (available for use)

After the notice period has expired

Assuming you have served written notice to your lodger, once the move out date has expired, you will automatically regain possession. There is no need for a court hearing/order or to take the matter further, legally.

If the lodger refuses to vacate, you can change the locks, and also contact the police to assist.

Legal Advice

The page also contains some legal information, but it is only for guidance, and should not be seen as legal advice.

For legal advice, we recommend contacting a solicitor, or your local Citizen’s Advice or Shelter.