Problems with housemates

Common problems in a shared house include:

• having guests

• household chores

• paying rent or bills

• antisocial behaviour and noise

Talk to your housemates

Start by talking to your housemates.

Try to do this before the problem becomes more serious.

Let everyone give their point of view.

Try to find ways to sort things out. For example, you could agree on some house rules or a rota for chores.

You could ask someone to help you and your housemates talk. For example, a mutual friend.

If you're a student

Talk to your university's student support service about the problem. They can give you advice.

You may have an accommodation mentor or adviser.

Some universities have mediation services to help housemates sort out problems together.

Speak to your landlord

You can tell your landlord about the problem if talking to your housemates does not help.

But your landlord is unlikely to get involved unless someone has broken their contract.

Your landlord could:

• talk to your housemate

• evict your housemate if they are breaking their tenancy agreement

Be aware that your landlord could decide to end the tenancy for everyone, especially if you are joint tenants.

Problems with guests

You can have overnight guests in your home if you're an assured shorthold tenant.

It's probably an unfair term if your tenancy agreement says overnight guests are not allowed.

Your housemates cannot:

• stop you from inviting guests to your home

• stop someone you've invited from staying overnight

But it can cause problems if someone stays a lot.

It can help if you:

• do not disturb your housemates

• let your housemates know someone is coming to visit

• agree together about how often people can visit and what time they can arrive

You're responsible for your guests.

Your landlord could try to evict you if a guest breaks your tenancy agreement.

For example, if they damage the property or break the law.

If a housemate stops paying rent

If you have an individual tenancy, you're only responsible for your share of the rent.

Your landlord cannot ask you for money if a housemate does not pay their share.

In a joint tenancy, you are all responsible for unpaid rent.

Your landlord could take action to evict all of you and get the money back from any of you.

You might have to pay your housemate’s share of the rent and then try to get it back from them.

If a housemate does not pay their share of the bills

It is best to make sure that you are all named on utility bills.

Anyone named on the bill is responsible for the full amount, even if you agreed to split costs.

If your name is on the bill and a housemate does not pay their share, the utility provider can ask you to pay the whole amount.

This can happen even if you move out.

If someone wants you to leave

Your housemates cannot force you to leave if you have an assured shorthold tenancy.

Our joint tenancy guide explains what to do if you are a joint tenant.

You have fewer rights if you are a lodger. For example, if you pay rent to a housemate but you do not have a tenancy agreement.

They only need to give you reasonable notice to leave. They do not need to go to court to evict you.

If your landlord wants to evict someone

If everyone has a separate tenancy for their room, the landlord can evict someone else without affecting you.

When you have a joint tenancy

Your landlord cannot evict one joint tenant without ending the tenancy for everyone. This puts all of you at risk of eviction.

You can ask the landlord to set up a new tenancy for everyone who still lives there.

If you decide to move out

You may want to leave if problems with housemates do not stop.

Make sure you end your tenancy properly. Otherwise you’ll still be responsible for paying rent after you move out.

You could ask your landlord to let you end your tenancy early.

If you have a joint tenancy

Find out how to end a joint tenancy properly.

If a new tenant moves in, make sure they sign a new agreement with the tenants and the landlord.