Has your landlord
broken the law?

First, what kind of renter are you? This decides which rules apply to you.

We are not solicitors, and this is not legal advice. My Renting Rights explains what the law says and what your options are, so you can decide what to do next. We cannot advise on your case, represent you, or act for you, though we can point you to people who can. If things are urgent, call Shelter free on 0808 800 4444.

Everything here is free. All of it, always.

Every check, every answer, and every letter costs you nothing. There is no account to make, no card to enter, and nothing held back for a paid tier at the end. Other services charge renters for the letters we give away, and we think that is the wrong way round. The people who need this most are the people with the least.

We will keep it free without ever charging renters. Any statistics we publish or share are anonymous and about areas, never about people. Renters are never the product, and never the customer.

Privacy Your answers stay on your device. We never ask who you are and never see what you typed.
Accuracy Where we find a breach, we name the section of law it rests on. All legal content was last checked against legislation.gov.uk and current guidance on 11 September 2026.
Scope England only. Private tenants, shared houses and HMOs, lodgers, social housing, subletting and letting agents each have their own checks, with the rules that actually apply to them.
What you get A verdict, the evidence to gather, your council's details, and a letter ready to send.

Do you rent your home in England?

Housing law is different in each UK nation. This check covers England only, for now.

Sorry, we can't help you yet

This checker is built around housing law in England, and the rules in the rest of the UK are genuinely different. A verdict based on English law could point you in the wrong direction. Rather than guess, here's where to get the right help where you live:

  • Scotland: Shelter Scotland, free advice on Scottish tenancy law
  • Wales: Shelter Cymru, Welsh housing law changed substantially under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act
  • Northern Ireland: Housing Rights, the specialist NI housing advice charity
Shelter Scotland Shelter Cymru Housing Rights (Northern Ireland)

What's your postcode?

We use it to work out which council covers your home, so we can point your reports and letters at the right place.

First, what type of renter are you?

This decides which rules apply to you, so it's worth getting right.

What happened?

Not sure which applies? Pick the closest one, you can start again at any point.

You're a lodger, your rights are different

As a lodger sharing living space with your landlord, you are an excluded occupier. Most of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 does not apply to you, because it governs assured tenancies.

What you are still entitled to:

  • Protection from violence and threats, using or threatening violence to get you out is a criminal offence
  • Reasonable notice to leave, usually matching your rent period
  • A safe home, gas safety checks, working smoke alarms, safe electrics
  • Fair return of your deposit, though the deposit protection schemes do not apply to lodgers
  • The terms of your agreement, which your landlord must honour

What your landlord can do that a tenant's landlord cannot:

  • Ask you to leave with reasonable notice, without a court order
  • Change the locks after that notice expires, without committing an offence
  • Enter your room, though they should give notice as a matter of courtesy
Important difference Because you are an excluded occupier, your landlord does not need a court order to evict you once proper notice has expired. This is the main way your position differs from a tenant's. If you are being threatened, or forced out with no notice at all, that is still unlawful. Get advice the same day.
Read Shelter's lodger guide Get advice from Citizens Advice

Social housing has different routes for complaints

Council and housing association tenants have strong rights but different complaint processes to private renters. The right route depends on your issue.

  • Repairs, damp and mould: Awaab's Law sets binding timescales for social landlords, starting with emergency hazards and damp and mould. Report in writing and keep the date.
  • Eviction: Your landlord must go to court and prove a legal ground.
  • Complaints not resolved: Use your landlord's formal complaints procedure first, then escalate to the Housing Ombudsman, which is free and independent.
  • Anti-social behaviour: Report to your landlord's housing team, then use the ASB Case Review if it is ignored.
Subletting your whole social home is a criminal offence under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013. If you are considering it, get advice first.
Go to Housing Ombudsman Shelter's social housing guide

Your situation might need specific advice

Some arrangements have their own rules that this tool doesn't fully cover:

  • Subletting from another tenant: You usually have full tenant rights against the person you pay, even if they had no permission to sublet.
  • Company lets: Not assured tenancies, so deposit protection and the Section 8 grounds work differently.
  • University-run halls: You have a licence, not a tenancy. University policies and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator apply.
  • Rent-to-rent: Your rights depend on the chain of agreements above you. Worth specialist advice.
  • Unsure if you're a lodger or tenant: If your landlord does not live in the property, you are almost certainly a tenant with full rights.
Get advice from Shelter

What to do now

Find your council

Several of the steps above involve your local council. Enter your postcode and we'll tell you which council covers your home.

Your full postcode is used only to look up your council and is not stored. We keep just the area part (e.g. "E1") so we can see where problems cluster. That can never identify you or your home.

Useful contacts
Citizens Advice0800 144 8848, free Shelter England0808 800 4444, free
Information only, not legal advice. This verdict is based on the answers you gave and on housing law in England as at 11 September 2026, the date our legal content was last checked against legislation.gov.uk and current guidance. Take advice before starting court or tribunal proceedings, and tell us if you think anything here is wrong.

Your letter

Your letter
Keep a copy of everything you send, and send it by email where you can. The timestamp is your evidence.