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You are a lodger if you rent a room in your landlord’s home and your landlord lives there too.

As a lodger, you will be either an:

• ‘excluded occupier’
• ‘occupier with basic protection’

If you’re an excluded occupier

You’re likely to be an excluded occupier if you:

• live in your landlord’s home
• share living spaces like a kitchen, bathroom or living room with your landlord

Shelter has more information about .

If you’re an occupier with basic protection

You’re likely to be an occupier with basic protection if you:

• live in your landlord’s home
• do not share living spaces like a kitchen, bathroom or living room with your landlord

Shelter has more information about  .

Types of agreement

You may have a tenancy agreement or a licence agreement.

If you have a licence agreement, you are called a licensee. Shelter has more information about .

The length of the let

A tenancy or a licence can be either:

• periodic - run indefinitely from one rent period to the next
• fixed term - last a set number of weeks, months or years

If you do not agree the length of a let, it will automatically become a periodic let.

Licences can be open-ended for informal arrangements, like allowing a friend to stay on an as-and-when basis.

Your landlord will tell you if:

• you need to pay a deposit
• you need to pay rent

Paying a deposit

You might be asked to pay a deposit. Your landlord can keep money from your deposit if you:

• miss your rent payments or are late paying rent
• damage the property

You should ask for a receipt or keep a record of the payment.

Your landlord does not have to protect your deposit with one of the government-approved schemes, but they may choose to do so.

They should return either the full deposit or the balance after any deductions at the end of your agreement. If they do not, you can take them to court.

Paying rent

Your landlord should tell you how much rent you must pay and how often it must be paid.

You may be asked to pay your rent weekly or monthly and this may affect how much notice you need to give before ending your agreement.

Your landlord can include the following things in your rent:

• part of the cost of their council tax
• the cost of utilities, equal to the amount you have used

You and your landlord can end the agreement at any time if you both agree.

If you do not think you have been given enough notice to leave or that your landlord has evicted you illegally, you should contact your local council.

If you want to end the agreement

You must give your landlord notice.

The amount of notice you need to give depends on the tenancy or licence agreement.

It is usually at least:

• 4 weeks if you pay weekly
• one month if you pay monthly

If your landlord wants to end the agreement

The amount of notice your landlord needs to give depends on whether you’re an:

• excluded occupier
• occupier with basic protection

If you’re an excluded occupier

The amount of notice your landlord needs to give depends on how often you pay rent. For example, if you pay rent weekly, your landlord must give you at least one week’s notice. Your landlord does not usually need to give you notice in writing.

If you do not leave at the end of the notice period, your landlord can evict you. This could be by changing the locks when you are out. If you have left belongings in the property, the landlord must allow you to collect them within a reasonable time.

If you’re an occupier with basic protection

Your landlord must give you a written ‘notice to quit’. The notice period will depend on the agreement, but must be at least 4 weeks.

If you do not leave at the end of the notice period, your landlord can apply for a court order to evict you.

Change of ownership

If your landlord sells the property and stops living there, you can stay but your tenancy type may change.

If the new owner plans to live in the property as a resident landlord, they must:

• give you notice that they plan to live there within 28 days
• move into the property within 6 months of the sale