The landlord and tenant relationship forms a very complex area of law, and the following advice is only to be used as a very basic guide. For further detailed advice you should contact your local Citizens Advice (CAB), or a solicitor.
The correct procedure that a landlord must follow to legally evict a tenant includes three stages:
◾the issuing of a legal written notice by the court
◾ obtaining a court order for possession and;
◾ the application of a bailiffs warrant (to be enforced by a County Court bailiff)
Until all these three steps have been taken, the tenant has a right to stay in the property.
There are different rules for a resident landlord, those tenants who have a fixed term contracts and periodic tenancies which will not be duplicated here. Although a court order is not strictly required in these situations it is still advisable for the landlord to obtain one to avoid any possible criminal charges.