Right to Quiet Enjoyment
Written in plain language for general understanding. This is educational content, not legal advice. Based on UK Acts of Parliament, statutory instruments, and official guidance.
UK National Law
What is this right?
As a tenant, you have the right to live in your home peacefully without interference from your landlord. This is called the covenant of quiet enjoyment.
Your landlord must not:
- Enter your home without your permission (except in a genuine emergency)
- Harass you, threaten you, or make your life difficult to force you to leave
- Cut off your gas, electricity, or water
- Change the locks while you're out
- Remove your belongings
Illegal eviction and harassment by a landlord are criminal offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
When does it apply?
- This right applies to all tenants — including ASTs, secure tenancies, and statutory tenancies.
- Your landlord should give you at least 24 hours' written notice before visiting (though this is convention rather than statute — the key point is they cannot enter without consent).
- This also applies to letting agents acting on the landlord's behalf.
- Lodgers living with their landlord have fewer protections, but even lodgers cannot be illegally harassed.
What should you do?
- If your landlord enters without permission, tell them in writing that they must not do so and that you expect 24 hours' notice.
- If harassment continues, contact your council's Tenancy Relations Officer — they can warn the landlord and even prosecute.
- For illegal eviction (locks changed, utilities cut off), call the police and your council's housing team immediately.
- You may be able to claim damages in the county court for breach of quiet enjoyment.
What should you NOT do?
- Don't change the locks yourself without your landlord's knowledge — discuss it first or risk a dispute (though you are within your rights to do so if your lease doesn't prohibit it).
- Don't retaliate physically — use legal channels to resolve disputes.
- Don't assume frequent "inspections" are acceptable — if your landlord is visiting excessively, this may amount to harassment.
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