If you rent your home from a private landlord (and you do not live with your landlord or a member of their family) and your tenancy began after 1997, then you are likely to be an Assured Shorthold Tenant. Assured Shorthold Tenancies were created to make it more profitable for landlords to let out their properties and easier for them to evict their tenants.

GMLC believes that the law urgently needs to change to bring fairness to the private rented sector. We proud to campaign with GM Tenants Union, Manchester ACORN and others to fight for a fairer housing sector. If you’re a tenant in private rented or social housing sectors, you may wish to join one of these tenants’ unions for advice, support and to get involved in campaigning. For more information, see our housing campaigns page here.

We believe tenants are better equipped if they know what rights they have and how they can enforce them.

Whilst we hope the information on this page is useful and helps private renters better access their rights – it is no substitute for legal advice.

If you are in Greater Manchester, and are facing eviction or homelessness and need advice about your rights as a private renter please contact us:

Greater Manchester Law Centre (GMLC)

669 Stockport Road
Longsight
Manchester
M12 4QE

Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9am-5pm
New or general enquiries: Monday to Thursday 10am-3pm
Fridays for appointments only

Contact information

Phone 0161 769 2244
Email reception@gmlaw.org.uk

On our Contact page, you will find a map with location of our premises and travel information.

If we cannot help you with your problem we will try to give you more information and refer you to an organisation who can.

The Renters Rights Act 2025

The Renters Rights Act 2025 has changed the way that most private rented sector tenancy agreements work, as well as the ways that tenants can be evicted. While we update these pages, you can get more information on the Renters Rights Act at Shelter’s information pages here.

Please note: not all occupiers’ rights have been changed by the Act. If you are a lodger, living in homeless temporary accommodation (before receiving a full homeless duty decision) or in shared accommodation and have signed a licence agreement, then your landlord may be able to evict you lawfully without getting a court order and a warrant for eviction from court bailiffs. The law is complicated, but it doesn’t mean that you have no rights. If you receive Notice or are asked to leave, get urgent advice – and remember, it is a criminal offence for a landlord to use or threaten violence against you or your property in order to get into your home.

The Warrant Stage

If the court has made an Outright Possession Order or a Suspended Possession Order (and your landlord says you have not kept to the terms of the order), then your landlord can apply to the court for a warrant for your eviction. At least two weeks before the eviction date you will receive a Notice of Eviction from the court with a date and time that the bailiffs will attend. It is still not too late to get advice. In many cases, the court has the power to suspend the eviction right up to the time the bailiffs change the locks and if not other organisations may still be able to help [link to GM Tenants Union and Acorn for eviction resistance]. Even after the eviction, if you have been made a false promise or been misled by your landlord or someone else, it can be possible to challenge the eviction and get back into your home.

For information for homeless people and social housing tenants, please click on the relevant icon:

Advice for Homeless People icon
Advice for social housing tenants icon