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What counts as harassment

This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland

If your landlord does something that interferes with your ability to enjoy living in your home in peace and is intended to make you leave your home or take away your rights, s/he could be guilty of harassment.

It is important to remember that the fact that your landlord owns your home does not give her/him, or anyone acting on her/his behalf, a right to harass you.

Examples of harassment

Harassment can take a number of different forms, for example:

removing or restricting access to services such as gas, electricity or water, or failing to pay the bills so that these services are cut off
visiting your home regularly without warning, especially late at night
interfering with your post
threatening you
sending builders round without notice
entering your home when you are not there, without your permission
allowing your home to get into such a bad state of repair that it's dangerous for you to stay
beginning disruptive repair works and not finishing them
harassing you because of your gender, race or sexuality
refusing to let you into certain parts of your home (for example, the kitchen or bathroom)
stopping you from having guests
intentionally moving in other tenants who cause a nuisance to you
forcing you to sign agreements which take away your legal rights.

This behaviour may be intended to make you leave your home without your landlord having to follow the proper legal procedures, or it may be for other reasons. Harassment can be very distressing and might make you feel as though you have no choice other than to move out. This is not the case - harassment is in fact a serious criminal offence.

What if a letting agent is harassing me?

If you rent your home privately, your landlord may have employed a letting agency or managing agent to look after the property on her/his behalf. Harassment or illegal eviction by an agent, or by anyone working on behalf of the landlord, are also criminal offences. If your landlord knows how the agent is behaving, then your landlord could be held equally responsible by law. If your landlord could not have known what was happening, then the agent will be held solely responsible.

Some agencies belong to trade associations such as:

If you are being harassed, or have been illegally evicted by an agent, check whether it belongs to one of these trade associations. Most trade associations have a complaints procedure and some may have a mediation service, which could help to negotiate a solution to the problem. If your agent has behaved illegally, it could be asked to leave the trade association.

What can I do about it?

If your landlord (or agent) is harassing you, you may be able to get help from the council, or take your landlord to court. Harassment does not have to be obvious or intentional before you can do something about it. You may also be able to:

ask your landlord to stop the behaviour
keep a diary, notes and photographs of what happens
go to an advice centre, the police, the council, or a solicitor for help
ask your landlord to put all communication with you in writing
write to her/him, saying if the harassment continues you will take legal action
have someone with you as a witness whenever you see your landlord
get together with other tenants who have the same landlord.

In an emergency, such as if you have been locked out, contact the council. There is usually an officer who deals with harassment and illegal eviction, who is often called a tenancy relations officer. If they are not available to help immediately or if violence has been threatened, you should also call the police.

Does it matter what type of tenancy I have?

Yes. Most people who rent their home privately have an assured shorthold tenancy but there are other types of private tenancy, which can give you very different rights. It's important to check what kind of tenancy you have as it can have a big impact on how easy it is for you to take action to stop the harassment. For example, if you're an assured shorthold tenant, your landlord doesn't need a special legal reason to evict you, so you should get advice before you challenge her/him to ensure that you don't put your home at risk.

If you have an assured tenancy or a regulated tenancy you are in a much stronger position as the landlord can't evict you without a valid legal reason. Use our eviction checker if you are unsure of your rights.