Housing FAQs

If you have encountered similar problems or have a problem not outlined below, please contact us or telephone us on +44 (0)20 8733 7200 and ask to speak to one of our advisors.

I am a tenant and my landlord wants to evict me? What rights do I have? How long do I have before I have to leave the property?
This all depends on the terms of your tenancy agreement. If you do not have a written tenancy agreement, this depends upon what oral agreement was made between you and your landlord when you moved in and what you were led to believe about how long you could stay.
In most cases your landlord will need to serve you with a legal notice. If you do not leave in the time specified in the notice, your landlord will then need to obtain a court order in order to remove you. If he removes you from the property without a court order, we may be able to recover compensation for you. The level of compensation you are entitled to depends on how the eviction has affected you and for how long.
My neighbour has been harassing me and has threatened me several times. I am worried about my safety. I have reported this to the police but they refuse to take any action. Is there anything I can do to protect myself?
If you know the name and address of the individual concerned, we can write a warning letter to them, urging them to stop their behaviour. In serious cases, where there is a threat of violence or the harassment has taken place over a long period of time, it may also be possible to obtain a court injunction.
If the harassment continues even after the injunction, we can apply to have the individual arrested and sent to prison.
I have been evicted from my property and have nowhere to live. The local Council have refused to offer me any accommodation. What can I do?
In order to obtain accommodation from the Council, you need to satisfy their five criteria. If the Council refuse to accept a duty to find accommodation for you, they need to write to you, informing you why you do not meet the relevant criteria.
If there are grounds to do so, we can apply for a review of the decision and if the review is unsuccessful, we can make an appeal to the County Court.
I am a Council tenant and have asked to be transferred to a larger property. I have been placed on an allocation scheme but have been awarded a low priority rating, as a result of which I have not been offered suitable accommodation. What can I do?
If there are grounds to do so, we can ask the Council to review their decision and if this proves unsuccessful, we can make an application for Judicial Review in the High Court.
We can challenge the Council's decision in your case and in some cases, we can even challenge the policy itself, on the basis that it is unfair.
I am a tenant and there are outstanding repairs in my property. I have reported these to my landlord but they have not taken any action. What rights do I have as a tenant?
Unless your tenancy agreement states otherwise, your landlord is responsible for completing certain repairs to the property. However, the landlord's responsibility only begins after you have made him aware of the problem.
If the disrepair is very serious, we can obtain a court injunction against the landlord, requiring him to carry out the work. If you have suffered as a result of the disrepair, we can claim compensation on your behalf. The level of compensation you are entitled to depends on how the disrepair has affected you and for how long.
If you have encountered similar problems or have a housing problem not outlined above, please call and ask to speak to our housing department.
We will be more than happy to deal with your queries and will let you know whether or not we can take on your case.
I am a landlord and I want to remove a tenant. What do I need to do?
To remove a tenant, you need to start court proceedings for possession in the County Court. In most cases, you will need to have sent the tenant a legal notice before you start any court proceedings. However, the contents of and length of the notice will depend on the terms of the tenancy agreement or, if there is no formal agreement, the nature of the tenant's occupation.
We advise you which legal grounds can be used, we can prepare the notice, start the Court proceedings, and attend Court, on your behalf.

If you have encountered similar problems or have a problem not outlined above, please contact us or telephone us on +44 (0)20 8733 7200 and ask to speak to one of our advisors.

We will be more than happy to deal with your queries and will let you know whether or not we can take on your case.