Retaliatory eviction: what it is and how to protect yourself

Retaliatory eviction, or revenge eviction, is a landlord trying to evict you because you complained about the state of your home. It is a real, recognised problem. For years, tenants who raised repairs faced eviction as punishment.

The law has now swung the tenant's way. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions, the main tool of revenge eviction. Here is the protection you have now, and what to do if you think your landlord is retaliating.

What counts as retaliatory eviction?

Retaliatory eviction usually looks like a landlord:

• Starting eviction soon after you report a repair problem
• Refusing to carry a tenancy on after a formal complaint about conditions
• Threatening eviction, or making plain the complaint is the reason

Timing is usually the key evidence. A notice landing days or weeks after a complaint looks suspicious, and the landlord's own messages often show the link.

The position now: Section 21 is gone

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, Section 21 no-fault eviction is abolished for new and existing private tenancies. A landlord can no longer end your tenancy without a reason.

To evict, a landlord must now prove a specific legal ground: serious rent arrears, or wanting to sell or move in. Punishing a complaint just got much harder:

• No landlord can serve a no-reason notice after you report disrepair
• If a landlord dresses retaliation up as a legal ground, you can challenge it at the possession hearing, with your complaint timeline as evidence

See our guide: /help-centre/section-21-abolition-what-it-means.

What about Section 21 notices served before abolition?

A Section 21 notice served before abolition can still work through the system. Check its validity with a housing adviser. The older protections may apply: under the Deregulation Act 2015, a notice can be invalid where you complained in writing, the landlord failed to respond properly within 14 days, and the council then issued an improvement or emergency notice.

A notice can also fail for reasons far from retaliation: an unprotected deposit, missing prescribed documents, or service too early in the tenancy.

What to do if you suspect retaliatory eviction

1. Document the timeline. When did you complain? When did the notice arrive? Keep copies of everything.

2. Report the disrepair to the council's environmental health team, if you have not already. An inspection and a formal notice strengthen your hand and get repairs moving.

3. Go to the possession hearing and raise it. Attend, and put your complaint timeline in front of the judge. On grounds the landlord must now prove, your evidence of retaliation counts.

4. Get legal advice fast. A housing solicitor or adviser can weigh your evidence and your defence.

If you were evicted because you complained

Evicted in circumstances that look like retaliation? Get legal advice. You may also have a disrepair claim for the time you lived with the defects before the eviction.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

Complained about disrepair, and now facing eviction? Get urgent advice from a housing solicitor or advice charity about the eviction. For the disrepair, we check whether you may have a claim. If you do, we refer you to an SRA-regulated panel solicitor who gives legal advice and runs the case.

No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Renters' Rights Act 2025 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Deregulation Act 2015, sections 33 to 40 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Section 21, Housing Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk)

Related articles

• Can I be evicted for complaining?
• What is a Section 21 notice?
• Section 21 abolition, what it means
• How to request an HHSRS inspection