How to Write a Letter About an Illegal Eviction UK: Your Rights and What to Do
If your landlord has locked you out, removed your belongings, cut off your utilities or threatened to remove you without a court order, they have committed a criminal offence. This is not a grey area. Illegal eviction is a crime under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, regardless of whether you are behind on rent, regardless of whether your tenancy has ended, and regardless of what your landlord says about it being their property.
Knowing this matters because the instinct when you are locked out of your home, often in shock, sometimes with nowhere to go, is to accept the situation or to feel that you have no power. You have significant power. You can go back. You can have your landlord prosecuted. You can claim compensation. And a formal letter, sent urgently, is one of the most effective tools available to you right now.
This guide explains what illegal eviction is, what counts as evidence, the immediate steps to take, two letters you may need to write and where to get help if the situation is happening right now.
Read This First: If You Are Locked Out Right Now
If you are currently locked out of your home, do all of the following before you do anything else:
Call the police and tell them you have been illegally evicted under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. The police may say it is a civil matter. It is not. It is a criminal offence. If they will not act, ask for the incident to be logged and note the officer's name and shoulder number.
Call your local council immediately. Ask for the tenancy relations officer or the private sector housing team. The council has a duty to investigate illegal eviction and can often get you back into your home the same day. Most councils have an out-of-hours emergency line.
Call Shelter on 0808 800 4444. Shelter provides free, urgent housing advice including emergency situations and can advise on whether you need an emergency injunction.
Document everything. Take photographs of changed locks, removed belongings, damage to the property or written communications from your landlord. Note the date and time of everything that has happened.
Do not confront your landlord alone or agree to anything verbally without having it confirmed in writing.
What Illegal Eviction Is Under UK Law
Under Section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, it is a criminal offence for any person to unlawfully deprive a residential occupier of their occupation of a property, or to attempt to do so, or to carry out acts intended to cause the occupier to give up the property without following the lawful eviction process. As Shelter’s housing advice guidance on dealing with illegal eviction confirms, only a court bailiff acting under a possession order can lawfully remove a tenant. Anyone else doing so, including the landlord, a letting agent or a third party acting on the landlord’s instructions, is committing a criminal offence.
Illegal eviction does not require physical force or violence. It includes:
Changing the locks while you are out, even if your rent is in arrears
Removing your belongings from the property without your consent
Cutting off gas, electricity or water to force you to leave
Threatening you or using intimidation to make you leave
Blocking access to part of the property you have a right to use
Entering the property and refusing to leave until you do
Having new tenants move in before you have vacated
The offence can be prosecuted in the Magistrates Court, where the maximum penalty is six months imprisonment and an unlimited fine, or in the Crown Court, where the maximum is two years imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which came into force in phases from May 2026, local councils also have new financial penalty powers to fine landlords for illegal eviction without the need for criminal prosecution.
Crucially, criminal prosecution and civil compensation run in parallel. Your landlord can be prosecuted by the council at the same time as you pursue a civil claim for damages. The two routes do not cancel each other out.
Who Has These Protections
The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 protects all residential occupiers, which includes assured shorthold tenants, assured tenants, regulated tenants, lodgers in some circumstances and property guardians. It does not protect lodgers who share living space with a resident landlord throughout the agreement, such as someone renting a spare room in their landlord’s home where the landlord is always present.
Even if your tenancy has formally ended, even if you have been served with a notice, even if you owe rent, you cannot be evicted without a court order and a court bailiff. A notice is not an eviction. A court order is not an eviction. Only court bailiffs acting under a warrant can carry out a lawful eviction.
Letter One: The Immediate Warning Letter to Your Landlord
If your landlord is threatening illegal eviction but has not yet acted, send this letter immediately. Its purpose is to put your landlord on formal notice that you know your rights and that you will report them if they proceed. In many cases the threat of criminal prosecution is enough to stop an illegal eviction before it happens.
Send by email and by text or WhatsApp so you have timestamped evidence of delivery. Keep copies of everything.
Warning letter to landlord threatening illegal eviction
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Date and time]
[Landlord’s name]
[Landlord’s address or email]
Subject: Illegal Eviction – Formal Warning – [Your address]
Dear [Landlord’s name],
I am writing to formally warn you that I am aware of my legal rights as a residential occupier and that any attempt to evict me without following the correct legal process will constitute a criminal offence.
I occupy the property at [address] as a residential tenant. You have [describe what has been threatened or what has happened: told me to leave by [date] without serving a valid notice / threatened to change the locks / told me my belongings will be removed].
Under Section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, it is a criminal offence to unlawfully deprive a residential occupier of their occupation of a property, or to attempt to do so, or to carry out acts intended to cause me to leave without following the lawful eviction process. The only lawful way to evict me is to serve a valid notice, obtain a possession order from the County Court, and use court-appointed bailiffs to enforce it.
If you [change the locks / remove my belongings / cut off utilities / attempt to remove me by any means other than through the court process], I will immediately:
1. Report the offence to the police under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
2. Contact the council’s tenancy relations officer and request prosecution.
3. Apply to the County Court for an emergency injunction to re-enter the property.
4. Pursue a civil claim for damages including aggravated damages.
I am keeping a full written record of all contact and incidents. I have saved this letter as evidence of the date and time it was sent.
If you intend to seek possession of this property, you must do so through the courts. I will be seeking legal advice and I am aware of my rights throughout this process.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your contact details]
Letter Two: The Formal Complaint to Your Council
Whether the illegal eviction has already happened or is in progress, write to your local council’s tenancy relations officer or private sector housing team at the same time as calling them. The council has a duty to investigate and can prosecute your landlord. A written complaint creates a formal record and triggers the council’s investigatory obligations.
If the illegal eviction has left you homeless, also contact the council’s homelessness team separately. The council may have a duty to house you while the matter is investigated.
Complaint letter to council tenancy relations team
[Your full name]
[Your date of birth]
[Your former or current address]
[Your contact details]
[Date]
Tenancy Relations Officer / Private Sector Housing Team
[Council name and address]
Subject: Formal Complaint – Illegal Eviction – [Property address] – Landlord: [Landlord name]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to make a formal complaint about an illegal eviction carried out at [property address] by my landlord, [landlord’s full name], of [landlord’s address if known]. I am asking the council to investigate this matter and to consider prosecution under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
What happened
I have been a tenant at [address] since [date]. My tenancy is / was an assured shorthold tenancy [or describe your arrangement]. [Describe in chronological order what happened, as specifically as possible with dates and times:]
On [date] at approximately [time], [describe the first incident: my landlord arrived at the property and told me I had to leave immediately / I returned to the property to find the locks had been changed / I found my belongings had been removed from the property and left outside / my electricity supply was cut off without warning]. [Continue: On [date], [describe subsequent events]. As of today, [describe the current position: I do not have access to the property / my belongings remain outside / I have been without heating since [date]].]
Evidence
I have the following evidence which I attach to this letter: [list each item: photographs of the changed locks taken on [date] / copies of text messages from my landlord dated [date] in which they [describe content] / a copy of my tenancy agreement / a record of calls made to the landlord on [dates] / witness statement from [name] who was present on [date]].
What I am asking for
I am asking the council to: investigate the conduct of [landlord’s name] as a matter of urgency; contact the landlord and require them to allow me to re-enter the property; and consider prosecution under Section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
[If you are homeless as a result: I am also currently without accommodation as a result of this eviction. I am asking the council’s homelessness team to consider its duty to provide emergency housing while this matter is investigated.]
Please acknowledge this complaint and advise me of the next steps as a matter of urgency. I can be contacted on [phone number / email].
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Attachments listed above]
Your Right to Return: Emergency Injunctions
If you have been illegally evicted and cannot get back into the property through the landlord’s cooperation or the council’s involvement, you can apply to the County Court for an emergency injunction ordering your landlord to allow you back in. Emergency injunctions are applied for on the day and can be granted the same day, often without the landlord being present at the initial hearing.
Apply using Form N244 (Application Notice) at your local County Court. You can apply without a solicitor, though having legal representation significantly increases the speed and effectiveness of the process. If you are on a low income, you may qualify for legal aid. Civil Legal Advice (0345 345 4 345) can advise on legal aid eligibility for housing emergencies.
Claiming Compensation for Illegal Eviction
A civil claim for illegal eviction can be brought in the County Court alongside or independently of any criminal prosecution. Compensation for illegal eviction includes:
General damages: For the loss of your home, distress, disruption and inconvenience caused by the illegal eviction.
Special damages: For any financial losses directly caused by the eviction, including the cost of alternative accommodation, replacement of damaged belongings and other quantifiable costs.
Aggravated damages: Where the eviction involved threatening or intimidating behaviour.
Rent repayment order: Under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order requiring the landlord to repay up to 12 months of rent where they have committed an illegal eviction offence.
Courts have awarded substantial sums in illegal eviction cases. The value of any claim depends on the specific circumstances, the conduct of the landlord and the impact on the tenant. A solicitor or law centre can advise on the likely value of a claim in your situation.
Getting Help
Free, urgent help with illegal eviction is available from Shelter (0808 800 4444, available seven days a week) and Citizens Advice. Your local law centre can provide legal representation at court, including for emergency injunctions, often under legal aid. The Civil Legal Advice helpline (0345 345 4 345) can refer you to a local housing solicitor who accepts legal aid cases. If you want help drafting a warning letter to your landlord or a formal complaint to your council that references the correct legal framework and creates the right record, the team at LetterLab can help you get it right as quickly as possible.
Quick Checklist: Right Now
Have you called the police and asked them to log the incident under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977?
Have you called your local council’s tenancy relations officer or private sector housing team?
Have you called Shelter on 0808 800 4444?
Have you photographed or screenshotted all evidence: changed locks, messages from your landlord, the state of your belongings?
Have you sent the warning letter to your landlord by email and text so it is timestamped?
Have you written to the council’s tenancy relations team with a formal complaint?
Have you asked about a rent repayment order if you have paid rent during a period the landlord has been breaking the law?
Have you considered applying for an emergency injunction if the council cannot resolve the situation quickly?
The Key Takeaway: This Is a Crime. You Have Real Remedies.
Illegal eviction is not a civil dispute between a landlord and a tenant. It is a criminal offence with a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Your landlord may not know this, or may be counting on you not knowing it. Either way, the law is on your side and you have access to remedies that most people in this situation are never told about.
Act immediately. Document everything. Contact the police, the council and Shelter without delay. Write the letters. And if the matter needs to go further, the courts are there to enforce your right to your home.
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