What is a letter before action?

A letter before action (LBA) is a formal notice sent before starting court proceedings. It sets out your claim, the legal basis (e.g. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Housing Act 1988), the remedy you seek, and a deadline to respond — typically 14 days. Civil Procedure Rules require this step before most court claims, and courts take a dim view of parties who skip it.

Can I write my own legal letter?

Yes. You do not need a solicitor to write a legal letter. What matters is citing the correct legislation, stating your claim with precise dates and amounts, and giving a clear deadline. A well-drafted letter citing the right Act and section often resolves disputes without court proceedings — and costs nothing extra to send.

Does a legal letter actually work?

In many cases, yes. Most businesses, landlords, and employers respond when they receive a formally worded letter that cites specific legislation and mentions court or tribunal proceedings as the next step. It signals you know your rights and are prepared to escalate — which is often enough to get a resolution.

What UK legislation covers consumer complaints and refunds?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the primary law. Section 9 requires goods to be of satisfactory quality; section 20 gives you the right to a full refund within 30 days if goods are faulty. For services, section 49 requires reasonable care and skill. For distance/online purchases, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a 14-day cooling-off period.

23 July 2026

Locked Out by Your Landlord? Illegal Eviction and Harassment — Your Rights and How to Fight Back (UK)

Coming home to find the locks changed, your things put out on the pavement, the electricity cut off, or a landlord standing over you saying "get out today" is one of the most frightening things that can happen to a renter. It can also be a criminal offence. For nearly all tenants in England and Wales, a landlord cannot lawfully evict you without a court order — and pushing you out any other way, or deliberately making your life unbearable to force you to leave, breaks the law. You may have the right to get back in, and to claim compensation. Here is how the rules actually work, why a notice is never an eviction, the one situation where you have far fewer protections, what to do right now, and the letter that puts your landlord on notice.

This guide covers residential tenants and licensees in England and Wales. It is general information, not legal advice. Illegal eviction can move fast — if you are being locked out or forced out right now, contact your local council's housing or tenancy relations team, Shelter's emergency helpline, or the police straight away, and seek advice on an emergency injunction.

Illegal Eviction and Harassment Are Criminal Offences

Under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, it is a criminal offence for anyone to unlawfully deprive a residential occupier of their home, and a separate offence for a landlord or agent to harass an occupier — doing things likely to interfere with their peace or comfort, or withdrawing services, in order to drive them out. These are crimes that can be punished by a fine and up to two years' imprisonment. This is not merely a private dispute between you and your landlord.

The Core Rule: A Landlord Must Go to Court

For most tenants, the law is clear. Under section 3 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, a landlord may only recover possession of your home through the courts — not by taking matters into their own hands. In practice the lawful route is a fixed sequence:

A valid written notice giving you the required period and stating a proper legal ground;
If you do not leave, a possession claim in the county court and a possession order from a judge;
If you still do not leave, a warrant of possession enforced by county court bailiffs (or, in some cases, High Court enforcement officers).

Only a court-appointed bailiff or enforcement officer can physically remove you. That means the following, done without a court order, are generally unlawful: changing the locks while you are out, refusing to let you back in, physically removing you or your belongings, cutting off the gas, electricity or water, or intimidating you into leaving.

A Notice Is Not an Eviction

This trips people up constantly. A notice — however official it looks, and even after its date has passed — does not give your landlord the right to make you leave. It only lets them start a court case. Until a judge has made a possession order and, if needed, bailiffs have been sent, you are entitled to stay. A landlord who says "your notice has expired, so I'm changing the locks tomorrow" is describing an illegal eviction, not a lawful one.

"Section 21" No-Fault Evictions Have Been Abolished

If your landlord is threatening a "no-fault" or Section 21 eviction, be aware the ground has shifted. In England, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions from 1 May 2026. Assured shorthold tenancies became periodic assured tenancies, and a landlord can no longer end a tenancy simply because they want the property back with no reason given. To gain possession they must now rely on a specific legal ground (under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended) and still go through the court process above. So a landlord telling you in mid-2026 that they are "serving a Section 21" is relying on a route that no longer exists — and certainly cannot use it to justify locking you out. (Wales and Scotland reformed no-fault evictions separately, under their own laws.)

The Big Exception: Lodgers and Live-In Landlords

There is one situation where you have far fewer protections, and it is vital to be honest about it. If you share living space — a kitchen or bathroom — with a resident landlord whose own home it is, you are usually an "excluded occupier" (the classic lodger). Excluded occupiers are not covered by the "must go to court" rule: a live-in landlord only has to give reasonable notice (or whatever your agreement says) and can then evict you without a court order. The same applies to some other arrangements, such as staying somewhere rent-free or as a short-term guest. Even then, the landlord still cannot use violence or threats, and the criminal harassment rules still bite — but if you live with your landlord, do not assume you have court-order protection, because you probably do not.

What Counts as Harassment

Illegal eviction is not only about locks and force. Harassment is a course of conduct designed to make you give up your home, and it is an offence in its own right. It can include:

Cutting off or interfering with gas, electricity, water or heating;
Changing the locks or otherwise stopping you getting in;
Removing or threatening to remove your belongings;
Turning up unannounced, letting themselves in without notice, or constant unwanted visits, calls and messages;
Threats, aggression or abuse, including from people sent by the landlord;
Withholding services you are entitled to, or refusing repairs, to force you out.

You are entitled to quiet enjoyment of your home. Even a landlord who owns the property has no right to enter without proper notice or to pressure you out through the back door.

What to Do Right Now

If it is happening, act on more than one front at once:

Contact your council. Most local authorities have a housing options or Tenancy Relations Officer team whose job is exactly this. They can investigate, warn the landlord, and — importantly — they have the power to prosecute under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
Call the police. Illegal eviction and harassment are criminal offences, so this is a police matter. Be aware that officers sometimes wrongly say it is "just a civil dispute" — if that happens, politely but firmly point them to the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and ask them to prevent a breach of the peace while you get back in.
Get advice on an emergency injunction. A county court can order a landlord to let you back in and to stop harassing you, and in a genuine emergency this can be applied for urgently. Breaching such an order is contempt of court.
Gather evidence. Photograph changed locks, messages and any damage; note dates, times and what was said; keep every text and email. This evidence is what makes both a prosecution and a compensation claim stick.

The Compensation You May Be Owed

Illegal eviction is not just a crime — it is also a civil wrong you can sue over, and the sums involved can be significant. Under sections 27 and 28 of the Housing Act 1988, a landlord who unlawfully evicts a residential occupier can be ordered to pay damages measured by the landlord's gain — broadly, the difference in the property's value with you gone versus with you still entitled to live there. That can amount to a large sum, well beyond your out-of-pocket losses. As an alternative you can claim ordinary damages — for a hotel, lost or damaged possessions, distress and inconvenience, and in bad cases aggravated or exemplary damages — though you cannot claim both measures for the same eviction and must choose.

One honest note on tactics: while you can bring a private criminal prosecution, it is difficult, costly and carries risk, and a criminal court cannot order you back into the property. For most people the faster, more useful routes are pressing the council to act, seeking a civil injunction to get back in, and claiming compensation — with a firm letter often the thing that resolves it before any of that is needed.

Putting It in Writing

A clear letter to your landlord — one that states plainly that you are a tenant, that eviction without a court order is unlawful and a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, that you require immediate reinstatement and an end to any harassment, and that you will report the matter and pursue an injunction and damages — changes the temperature of the situation fast. It shows you know your rights, it creates a dated record for the council, the police and any court, and it very often stops the conduct without the need for anything further.

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