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Before you start:

Before reading this guide you should follow our guide to find out what occupation type you have. 

Note that this Renter’s Guide only applies to rented property in England, UK.

1. Don't Panic!

It is very distressing to receive notice of court proceedings through the post and people often panic or perhaps bury their head in the sand and pretend it hasn’t happened.

However, it may not be as bad as you think:

  • The paperwork you have received may be a notice rather than an actual court claim.  Even if it is a court claim:
  • Landlords frequently make mistakes when preparing their paperwork
  • If so you may be able to get the claim thrown out or at least delay things
  • You may have a defence to the claim
  • Even if your landlord has got everything right and you have no defence, it will take months for the court order to be obtained – so you will have plenty of time to take advice and prepare for the worst

So:

Don’t throw away any of the paperwork you received from the court.  Keep it all.  We will discuss what you should do with it later.

Don’t move out.  Not yet anyway.  Your landlord’s claim may be faulty in some way.  We may be able to save your home. Read the rest of this article and see what your options are.

DON’T IGNORE IT.  That is the surest way to lose your home.  Read the papers, read this article, take advice if necessary.  It may not be as bad as you think.

So let’s have a cup of tea, sit down and take a look at things. 

Don’t be put off by the length of this article.  Only parts of it will apply to you so there is no need to read it all.  

The first thing to consider is ‘what actually have you received?’  Is it actual court proceedings or just a possession notice?

2. Possession Notices

Many people think that they are being evicted when all that has happened is that their landlord has served a possession notice on them.

If this is the first you have heard from your landlord about leaving, then the document you have received is probably a notice.  So the message here is:

Don’t move out!

Often people assume that if they receive a possession notice from their landlord that they are obliged to leave.  This is NOT SO. 

Apart from a few exceptions (the most important being lodgers and people in holiday lets) it is illegal for your landlord to make you leave other than by obtaining a Court Order for Possession and then using either a County Court Bailiff or a High Court Enforcement Officer to physically evict you. 

Until this happens you are legally entitled to stay.  The law which provides for this is the Protection From Eviction Act 1977, and the only exceptions (lodgers etc) are set out in section 3A.

So if you have just been served a notice by your landlord, this does not mean you have to leave by the expiry date in the notice.  The significance of this date is that your landlord cannot issue court proceedings to evict you before that date has passed.

Many landlords serve notices but never go on to issue possession proceedings, so do not assume that your landlord will.  

However, a possession notice is a warning from your landlord that possession proceedings may happen, so you need to take the notice seriously and ideally take advice. 

There are basically two types of notice that you might receive:

  • A section 8 Notice, or 
  • A ‘Notice to Quit

Section 8 notices

These are known as section 8 notices as they are served under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. The form is a ‘prescribed form‘ and must contain all the proper wording.  You can see what they should look like on this page (section 8 notices are Form 3A).

They are also very common and are most often based on rent arrears.  Find out more about this in our section on rent arrears claims below.

However, these notices can also be issued for one of many different reasons (all of which are listed in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988).  You can see what reason YOUR landlord has given in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the notice.

The notice period for section 8 notices varies depending on the reason why the notice has been served, but is can be just a few weeks so do not delay in taking advice.  For example, for notices served after 1 May 2026 based on rent arrears, the notice period is four weeks.

If the reason your landlord has served the notice is rent arrears, you should try to reduce your arrears as soon as possible.  We discuss this in the rent arrears section below.

However, if your arrears are due to the non-payment of Universal Credit, you should tell your landlord ASAP.  The rent arrears ground specifically provides that landlords cannot evict tenants under ground 8 for rent arrears due to unpaid Universal Credit, saying:

“When calculating how much rent is unpaid for the purpose of this ground, if the tenant is entitled to receive an amount for housing as part of an award of universal credit under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, any amount that was unpaid only because the tenant had not yet received the payment of that award is to be ignored.”

There is a limited exception for some section 8 notices served before 1 May 2026 where the tenant was protected by a Breathing Space. In certain circumstances, the landlord may have eight weeks after the Breathing Space ends to commence proceedings. Take advice if this applies to you.

Section 21 notices

In the past you might have expected to receive a section 21 notice.  However, section 21 and the no-fault eviction ground were abolished by the Renters Rights Act 2025. 

Landlords were able to base a possession claim on a valid section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 so long as proceedings were issued before 31 July 2026.  Apart from any ongoing cases, section 21 is effectively at an end.

If your landlord serves a section 21 notice on you after 1 May 2026, then this is a breach of the rules and will make your landlord vulnerable to a Civil Penalty Notice fine.  You may want to report him to your Local Authority.

Notices to Quit

People often describe any notice asking them to leave as a ‘notice to quit‘ but for lawyers, a Notice to Quit is a separate and special type of notice.

Unlike section 8 notices, a properly drafted Notice to Quit will actually end a tenancy.  But only for some types of tenancy and even then, only if the tenancy is a periodic tenancy.  It can’t end a tenancy during the fixed term.  Even if it does end the tenancy, you are still allowed to remain in the property by law (ie under the Protection from Eviction Act) until your landlord has obtained a possession order.

This type of notice is invalid if served on assured tenants.  It can only be used for ‘common law‘ unregulated tenancies, and sometimes for protected tenancies.

We discuss both of these situations below.  However, if you have a common law tenancy which is periodic, you may have little defence to a claim for possession based on a properly drafted Notice to Quit, so take advice quickly.

Notices to Quit are also used to end residential licences, although as discussed below, you need to check as you may actually have a tenancy.  In which case this notice will probably be invalid.

Tenants’ notices to quit

It is worth mentioning here that although landlords cannot end an assured periodic tenancy by a notice to quit, tenants can.

However, if you serve a notice to quit on your landlord because you want to move out and then change your mind, your notice will still end the tenancy at the end of your notice period.

This can be used by your landlord as a ground to evict you.  See more on this in section 9 below.

3. Possession proceedings from the Court

 

If you are being evicted by your landlord there are two ways they can do this:

  • By using the so-called ‘accelerated procedure‘ (so-called as it is not actually that quick), where the Judge will (normally) decide things on the paperwork alone, or
  • Using the ‘standard‘ procedure where there will be a Court Hearing.

The accelerated procedure is only used for section 21 claims, so as section 21 has been abolished, you are unlikely to receive this.  If you do, speak to a legal adviser about getting the claim struck out. 

So let’s take a look at

Standard possession proceedings

Here your landlord will have completed two forms – 

The first will be a standard claim form which just gives details of the parties and says what sort of claim it is.  The top part of this form will probably look like this (there are also Welsh language and large print versions):

N5 form

 

The landlord will also have completed a ‘particulars of claim form‘, form N119 which will set out the details of their claim.  The top of this should look like this (again there is also a Welsh language version):

You will also have been sent a defence form, along with notes for defendants and other paperwork.

Note that if your landlord is basing his claim on rent arrears, he may have issued proceedings online, in which case the paperwork you receive may look slightly different.  But it should say the same things!

So once you know what sort of claim you have received we can move to the next stage:

4. First things first

In the sections below we are going to see if you have a defence to your landlord’s possession claim.

However, before this, it is a good idea to get an idea of timescales.  How long do you have?

The paperwork should tell you the date when your case will be heard.  

Again, make a note of this date and make sure you are free on that day so you can attend.

Get your paperwork together

In particular, you will need to have your tenancy agreement.  So if it is buried deep among your things, dig around until you find it.  You will need it.

It is also a good idea to follow our guide to occupation types here, although in most cases you will have an Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT).

Gather together any other paperwork and records you may have about your tenancy.  Then read and check over the guidance below carefully.   If it looks as if you may have a defence, make a note of it.

Consider seeking legal advice

We are going to go through the legal rules that apply to possession claims below. 

However, if you find legal issues confusing and would prefer to have someone else deal with it, now is the time to get legal advice.

You will find a list of places where you can get help in our further advice services page.

If you want to find out more about the law and how it applies to you before getting advice, read on. 

5. What is the basis for your landlord's claim?

Your landlord can’t evict you just because he feels like it.  There has to be a legal reason on which they will base their claim.  We now have to work out what this is.

The accelerated procedure

There used to be an ‘accelerated procedure’ which landlords could use for claims based on section 21.  However, section 21 has now been abolished, as discussed above.

It is possible that the government may at some stage amend the court procedures and bring the accelerated procedure back for certain types of claim.  However, for the moment, we will not be considering it further.

Standard claims

This is the procedure used for one or more of the many legal grounds which landlords can use to base a possession claim, in particular claims based on one of the section 8 grounds for possession and claims based on Notices to Quit.

So let’s take a look at the forms and see what they say.  

First, take a look at page 2 of the N5 claim form.  That has a section where the landlord has to tick one of a number of different boxes.  

Make a note of the boxes they have clicked and then take a look at the particulars of claim form. 

Here the landlord will set out, in paragraph 4 on page 1, further details about the reason why they believe they are entitled to possession.  You should also have a look at paragraph 3(a) – do you agree with the tenancy or occupation type they put here?  Is the other information here correct?

Also:

Who has signed the Court Paperwork?

In law, only the landlord or their solicitor can sign court claims.  However, often the paperwork is signed by the letting agent. 

If this has happened in your case, you may have a defence.

Let’s now take a look at the different types of claim. 

6. Section 8 Claims

When section 21 was the main route used by landlords to evict tenants, there were a number of ‘pre-requisites’ they had to satisfy before they could bring a valid claim. 

Some of these have been moved over to apply to section 8 claims.  Others have not.  So let’s go through the various points that your landlord may or may not need to satisfy as a condition of bringing a possession claim against you.

Your tenancy must be an Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT)

Most tenancies are, but there is no harm in checking this.  You can do this using our guide here.

If your tenancy is not an APT (which will normally mean that you have a common law tenancy or maybe a residential license), you will have a complete defence to a claim based on a section 8 notice. 

However, note that once your fixed term has ended, your landlord will be able to evict you fairly easily after serving a Notice to Quit.

Your landlord must have served the proper form of notice on you

As discussed above, the proper form for a claim based on the section 8 procedure is a Form 3A.  So check this.  

If they have used an out-of-date form or the wrong form altogether, you may have a defence.  But take advice on this as if all the correct information has been provided by your landlord, the Court may allow it.

Is the ground for possession a ground where your landlord needed to give prior notice?

For some grounds, landlords are not able to base a claim on then unless they have notified their tenants, normally in the tenancy agreement, that they may be using this ground.

These are Grounds 1B, 2ZA to 2ZD, 4, 5 to 5H, 6A or 18 and the student landlord ground 4A.

So if your landlord is basing his claim on one of these grounds, check your tenancy agreement to see if the ground was mentioned there.

Occasionally notice may be given in some other way, although this is unusual.  However, if so, the notice must have been given before your tenancy started.  

The only exception to this is ground 4A where landlords of existing student tenancies were allowed to give notice so long as this was done before 31 May 2026.

Has your landlord given the correct notice period?

The notice period will vary depending on the ground for possession.  The notice periods are as follows:

  • Four-month notice period Grounds 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2ZA, 2ZB, 2ZC, 2ZD, 4A, 6, 6A, 6B
  • Two-month notice period Grounds 5, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5H, 7, 9
  • Four weeks’ notice period Grounds 5E, 5F, 5G, 8, 10, 11, 18
  • Two weeks’ notice period Grounds 4, 7B, 12, 13, 14ZA, 14A, 15, 17
  • No notice period Grounds 7A, 14  – these are the ‘anti-social behaviour’ grounds where your landlord can apply to the court immediately after serving the notice

The notice periods start from the date the notice was served on you.  So, you need to keep a record of the date you received the notice.  Has your landlord allowed sufficient time?  

This is particularly important if the notice was served by post.  Often landlords will just give notice without allowing time for it to be delivered by the postal system.  So check this carefully.

If the notice period you have actually had is less than the notice period you are entitled to – even if this is just by one day – the notice will be defective, and you will have a defence.

How long ago was the notice served on you?

Section 8 notices have a ‘life’ of 12 months. 

So if the notice was served on you more than 12 months before the possession claim started, the notice will have expired and you will have a defence.

Did you pay a deposit?

If so your landlord must have protected it in a Government-authorised tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receipt of the money AND served ‘prescribed‘ information on you also within the 30-day limit.

If this was not done, the landlord will normally be unable to obtain possession under any of the grounds apart from Grounds 7A and 14, unless the deposit has been returned, the protection requirements and prescribed-information requirements have since been satisfied, or any court claim about the deposit has been concluded.

For more information about this, see our article on deposits here

Note that this is not the same as the holding deposit you may have paid before you signed your tenancy agreement.  Find out about holding deposits here.  Unfortunately, though, failure to deal with a holding deposit properly will not form a defence to a section 8 claim.

Has your landlord or the letting agent charged you any fees?

Before the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, a landlord who had charged a fee prohibited by the Tenant Fees Act 2019(as explained in our article here) could not serve a valid section 21 notice until the prohibited payment had been repaid (or otherwise dealt with).

The Renters’ Rights Act repealed that provision and did not replace it with an equivalent restriction on section 8 possession claims. This means that an outstanding prohibited payment does not, in itself, appear to prevent a landlord from bringing possession proceedings.

However, if you have been charged a fee which is prohibited by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, you should tell your legal adviser. You may have a claim to recover the money, and it may be appropriate for your adviser to raise this as a counterclaim if possession proceedings have been issued.

Has your landlord given you the How to Rent Booklet?

Prior to 1 May, this needed to be served on all tenants at the start of their tenancy.  However, with the coming into force of the Renters Rights Act, this booklet has been withdrawn.

Does your property need a license from the Council?

Before the Renters’ Rights Act, a landlord who should have obtained a licence for the property was generally unable to serve a valid section 21 notice until the licensing issue had been resolved. That restriction no longer applies now that section 21 has been abolished.

However, an unlicensed landlord may still be committing a criminal offence or be liable to a civil penalty, and you may be able to apply for a Rent Repayment Order.  

Has the Local Authority/Council served an Improvement Notice on your landlord?

Again, this used to be a bar to landlords serving a section 21 notice but this is no longer the case.

Did your landlord serve a Gas Safety or Energy Performance Certificate on you before you moved in?

Before 1 May 2026, landlords wishing to use the ‘no fault’ section 21 procedure normally had to show that these documents had been provided to the tenant.

Since section 21 has been abolished, those requirements no longer appear to affect a landlord’s ability to bring possession proceedings under section 8.

However, this may not be the end of the story. The government intends to introduce a new Landlord Database, and landlords will be required to upload key compliance documents, including gas safety and energy performance certificates. It is expected that complying with the requirements relating to the database will become a condition of bringing possession proceedings once the database is fully operational.

Was the Court paperwork signed by someone other than your landlord or his solicitor?

As mentioned in section 5 above, if the court paperwork has been signed by someone unauthorised (for example often letting agents will sign) then you may have a defence to the claim.

And finally

Sorry, there are so many things to check! 

If after you have checked them, you think that you may have a defence, you should speak to an adviser and, if they agree, put in a defence.

If it looks as if your landlord may have got things right (and check very carefully as a substantial proportion of landlords get it wrong), and the claim is not something that you can defend (for example if your landlord requires the property back to live in or to sell) then you will have to accept that you will lose your home eventually.  Although you will usually still have several months to prepare for this.

7. Rent Arrears Claims

If your landlord is looking to evict you under the standard procedure, in the vast majority of cases this will be because you are in arrears of rent.

We need to consider the following points:

  • Is the arrears figure claimed by the landlord correct? 
  • Can you pay this, or
  • Do you have a counterclaim?

If so, you may have a defence to your landlord’s claim.

You may also have a defence if you suffer from any form of disability.

Is the arrears figure correct?

Your landlord should have served a schedule of arrears on you.  Check this over carefully and see it it matches your records.  If your landlord has not provided a schedule, ask for one.  He will need to provide you with a schedule at some stage before the hearing.

Then, is the monthly rent given in your tenancy agreement different from the monthly (or weekly or whatever) rent given in paragraph 3(b) of the particulars of claim form?  If so, and if the rent has been increased, was this done in the proper way?

See our article here which looks at the various ways rent can be increased.

If the landlord’s figures are correct and in particular if there is more than three months rent outstanding:

Are your arrears due to non-payment of Universal Credit?

If part of your arrears is unpaid solely because you are still waiting for a Universal Credit housing-cost payment to which you are entitled, that amount must be ignored when the court decides whether the three-month threshold under mandatory Ground 8 has been reached.

So you should let your landlord know if you are waiting for a Universal Credit payment which has been delayed and keep him informed of developments.

However, the non-receipt of Universal Credit does not necessarily prevent your landlord relying on one of the discretionary rent-arrears grounds, such as Ground 10 or Ground 11.

So keep evidence of the delayed payment and take advice.

Can you pay off the arrears?

Or at least bring them down to under three months? 

The significance of this being that if your arrears are under three months’ worth, the Judge at Court can allow you to stay in the property (so long as you take steps to pay the ongoing rent and clear the arrears).  However, if your rent is more than three months worth, the Judge has no legal power to do anything but make a possession order.

Clearing the arrears may seem an impossible task, but don’t give up.  Take a look at this article on getting financial assistance and also this article on claiming universal credit.

In particular, check over the first article very carefully.  There are probably lots of places where you can apply for help which you have never thought of.  Check them all out.  Don’t be embarrassed.  This is your home we are talking about here!

If you find this sort of thing difficult, see if you can get some help with your finances.  For example, local Citizens Advice Bureaux are very good.  There are other sources of help listed in this article in the getting help section at the end.

Do you have a counterclaim?

A counterclaim is where you bring a separate claim, as part of the proceedings, against your landlord.  If you succeed, then any award made to you under your counterclaim will go to offset your rent arrears.

There are two main types of counterclaim that are brought in rent arrears claims:

  • Claims for the penalty payment you can claim if your landlord has failed to comply with the tenancy deposit regulations (see our guide here).  This can be for up to three times the deposit sum, although the Judge may award you less.
  • Claims for compensation if your property is in poor condition.  You can find out more about your rights in this article.

We are not going to discuss the details of making a counterclaim here.  If you think you have a claim, the best thing to do is to seek legal advice and get your legal adviser to help you with the paperwork.

Do you suffer from any form of disability?

The Equality Act 2010 defines disability broadly. It can include physical and mental impairments that have a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This may include some mental health conditions, ADHD, autism and many long-term illnesses.

If your rent arrears arose because of your disability – for example because it affected your ability to manage your finances, claim benefits or remain in work – you may have a defence to the possession claim, or there may be arguments under the Equality Act 2010 which your solicitor could raise on your behalf.

These cases are often complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible. Your solicitor will usually need medical evidence about your condition, and you may be entitled to legal aid.

Why you should always try to deal with rent arrears claims if you can

  • If you lose the case, not only will you lose your home, you will also get a County Court Judgement (CCJ) registered against your name.  This will affect your credit rating and make it more difficult to find somewhere else to live.
  • If you want to be rehoused by the Council, they may say that as you have been evicted for rent arrears, this is your fault and refuse to rehouse you on that basis.

So you should always try to clear the arrears or reach an agreement with your landlord if you can.  This article will help.

8. Claims against 'Licensees'

Sometimes your landlord will claim that you are not a tenant but a licensee.  This is most common in HMOs, particularly if you are renting a room in a shared house.

Take a look at paragraph 3(a) of the N119 form.  Does your landlord claim that you have a residential license?

If this is really the case, then you have considerably fewer rights than tenants, and if your license period has ended, you may not have any defence to your landlord’s claim.  Although he should serve a Notice to Quit on you first.

We have an article here where we explain the difference between a tenancy and a residential license.

If you really are a licensee, there is not a lot you can do other than try to find somewhere else to live.  However, many landlords issue ‘sham licenses’ as we explain in the article.

So if YOUR landlord has issued a sham license, you will have a complete defence to their eviction claim.  

9. Claims based on a tenants notice to quit

This may happen if

  • A tenant has served a tenant’s Notice to Quit on their landlord but then changes their mind and wants to say, or
  • The notice to quit was served by one of the joint tenants, where the other tenants want to stay.

As discussed in section 2 above, in both these circumstances, the legislation provides for the notice to quit to be withdrawn, but only if the landlord agrees to this in writing.

If the landlord refuses to agree to the notice to quit being withdrawn, then the tenancy will end at the end of the notice period – assuming the notice was properly drafted.

Once the tenancy has ended, if the tenants fail to move out, the landlord can bring possession proceedings based on the fact that

  • the tenancy has been ended by the Notice to Quit, and
  • the tenants have failed to move out and give vacant possession to the landlord

Normally, there is no defence to such a claim.  However, it may be possible to defend on the basis that a new tenancy has been created.

The way to do this is to pay rent to the landlord after the tenancy has been ended under the Notice to Quit.  If your landlord accepts this, then this will normally be taken to create a new tenancy.

Landlords can prevent this happening by writing to say that any payments will be accepted as ‘mesne profits’ (this means an occupation rent where there is no tenancy) and without any intention to create a new tenancy.  If they do this, then there is nothing you can do.

However, not all landlords are aware of this.  So if you want to stay, paying rent may be your best option to prevent your landlord from being able to evict under the Notice to Quit.

10. Other types of claim

The vast majority of eviction claims are based on rent arrears.  So, the chances are that the proceedings brought against you will be based on this ground.

However, there are lots of other types of claim that can be brought.  

If your tenancy is an assured tenancy:

All the grounds for possession are listed in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988

  • If your landlord has used any of the grounds in Part 1 (ie grounds 1 -8) these are mandatory grounds.  Which means that if the landlord is able to prove the gound, then the Judge has to make a possession order.
  • If your landlord has used any of the grounds in Part II (ie grounds 9 – 18 ) these are discretionary grounds – meaning that you may be able to persuade the Judge that it is not reasonable to make a possession order (even if your landlord is able to prove the ground), which would allow you to stay at the property.

So, always take legal advice.  Your legal adviser will be able to tell you if a defence is possible and help you with the paperwork.  You will also find government guidance here.

If your tenancy is a common law/unregulated tenancy

It may not be possible to successfully defend, particularly if your landlord is claiming after serving a Notice to Quit. 

But take advice as they may have made a mistake.  Remember also that you may be able to defeat the claim by paying rent which (unless he qualifies his acceptance) will normally create a new tenancy.

If your tenancy is protected under the Rent Act 1977

You will almost certainly be able to defend the claim, unless you are in serious arrears of rent or possibly if your landlord is seeking to evict you because you have unreasonably refused to move to suitable alternative accommodation which they have offered you.  Even in these two situations, the Judge will be able to give you more time.

Whatever the basis of the claim you should always take legal advice.  It is very hard and usually impossible to evict someone with a protected tenancy, so it is always worth seeking advice on your landlord’s claim.  We have a detailed Premium Guide on protected tenancies here.

Note that sometimes landlords think, wrongly, that because they have been able to get their tenant to sign an assured shorthold tenancy form, this has changed their tenancy to an AST.  This is NOT the case. 

So take a look at paragraph 3(a) in the form and see what kind of tenancy YOUR landlord thinks you have.  

If you have a protected tenancy, nothing can take it away from you other than a court order, unless you move out permanently (which will end it).  So, if you moved into your property before 15 January 1989 – ALWAYS take advice.

11. What next?

In most cases you will want to take some further advice.  But first, take a look at the government guidance linked from here.

If you are at risk of losing your home, you should be eligible for free advice from the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service; details of which and a list of providers are linked from this page.

For alternative advice organisations, take a look at our Further Advice article here.  

When you see  your adviser

You should try to get advice as soon as possible and in any case before the hearing of your possession claim.

Make sure you show your adviser ALL the court paperwork, your tenancy agreement (or if you have more than one, all your tenancy agreements), and any notices and other paperwork served on you by your landlord and/or his solicitors.  You should also have with you all correspondence and emails with the landlord, his agents and his solicitors, in case your adviser asks for them.

Remember, it is often the thing you leave at home which turns out to be the really important document your adviser needs to see!

If you are being evicted for rent arrears, or if you are on a very low income or benefit, it is also a good idea to have details of your income and outgoings with you to show your adviser if he asks for them.  

As discussed above, if your arrears are due to non payment of Universal Credit, this will be a defence so provide your adviser with full details of this.

So far as cost is concerned, many of the organisations listed in our article are free or low cost.  If you are on benefit or a low income you may be eligible for Legal Aid.  You can find out more about Legal Aid here.

You will normally also be able to get help if your court has a duty solicitor service.  However, this will normally only be available to you on the day of the hearing.  If at all possible it is best to get help before then.  

If you don’t have a defence

Probably the best thing for you to do is to concentrate on finding somewhere to move to so you are not made homeless.  If you have legal help, they can sometimes delay the date of eviction, but they will not be able to prevent it.

If you think you are eligible for Local Authority housing, take a look at our article here.

And finally

Don’t give in, there is normally something you can do.  And Good Luck!

This is the end of this article.

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