If you’re being evicted by the council or housing association

This advice applies to Wales. See advice for See advice for England, See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland

You don’t have to leave your home straight away if you’ve got an eviction notice from your local council or housing association.

The eviction notice will usually be a Renting Homes Wales (RHW) form that says ‘termination’ or ‘possession’.

Your landlord has to follow a process before they can evict you and this will take some time - depending on the reason your landlord is using to evict you. 

What your landlord has to do

The exact process your landlord has to follow depends on the type of contract you have and the type of eviction notice they give you. They'll usually have to:

  1. Give you an eviction notice explaining why you’re being asked to leave and when they want you to leave

  2. Apply to the court for a ‘possession order’ if you haven’t left by the date on your notice

  3. Go to a hearing where the court will decide whether to issue a ‘possession order’

  4. Apply to the court to get a ‘warrant of possession’ if you haven’t left by the date on your possession order - they’ll then send the bailiffs to your home to evict you

What you can do to challenge the eviction

There are steps you can take to try to stay in your home:

  1. If you’ve got an eviction notice from your landlord

  2. If you’ve got a letter from the court

  3. If you’re preparing to go to court

  4. If you’re going to court for your eviction hearing

You might only need to do some of these steps - it’ll depend what stage you’re at in the eviction process.

If you want to challenge your eviction

You might be able to challenge your eviction if your landlord has discriminated against you, for example if they're evicting you:

  • because of who you are

  • in a way that’s more difficult for you compared with other people

  • for a reason that's connected to your disability

  • because you complained about discrimination before

If any of these apply to you, you should check if your housing problem is discrimination.

Talk to an adviser - they might be able to help you negotiate with your landlord or challenge your eviction.

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Page last reviewed on 01 December 2022