I want my 24 year old son to leave home...

If your child was abusing you, taking advantage of you, smelling the house out, not respecting you and causing you to go into debt as you can’t afford to keep him then yes

Either sell and buy a one bed and dont give him any of the money
OR get him to move out and let a room to a nice lodger.
Someone quiet and respectful with a regular income to top up your pension income.

Id be inclined to keep the house and get a lodger

He is 24 and an able bodied man with a good education (which he screwed up) he needs to get a job and stand on his own two feet.
The good news is minimum wage is a fairly decent salary these days.

Why on earth would you sell up when you can be happy in your own home and can afford it?

Children can leave home and live independently from age 16. Yours is an adult. And taking you for a ride. Change the locks. Tell him that’s what is gong to happen and bag his stuff up and then do it.

But if he genuinely has nowhere to go would posters suggesting this really see their child on the street?

Because that is the reality if he has no one to help him.

Is he depressed OP? What are his excuses for not getting a job?

@Tigerzmum I’d get your house ready to go on the market in the spring. Have some valuations and start looking for a smaller home that’s more economical to run. Once he realizes that you’re serious, he’ll have to start thinking about where he’s going to live.

I wouldn’t expend your energy trying to get him to leave in a couple of weeks, preparing to sell your house will be far more effective.

@Tigerzmum i don’t have any advice to give you but wanted to send my support

you shouldn’t feel this way in your own home with your adult son

This. You're being a repeating parent. Ineffectually threatening and doing nothing. Change the locks.

If he has no friends and nowhere to crash, that's a bigger problem for him.

He could be doing Deliveroo tomorrow if he really wanted

Tell him he is going to have to leave on a certain date. He can speak to your local council and they will help him work out what to do, or help with mediation. You don't have to live like this! Do not give him any money, and speak to the police if he is forcing you to.

Does he ever leave the house? Change the locks the next time he does after the date you have asked him to move out by and call the police if he is threatening or violent.

He has enough education to get into uni which means he should be able to a job. It won’t be much pay but it will be NMW and the job centre can help him to develop work skills and find a work placement.

but he is obviously not willing to make the effort.

im sure things would be different if he was respectful and struggling but he’s not.

selling is a great option but it takes months / years and what happens until then?

Personally I think the simplest solution is to sell and buy a 1 bed flat or bungalow in an over 55 development.
Other options are changing locks and calling police if he tries to enter.
Is there anyone who would speak to him or sit in a meeting with you eg godparent
I suspect as you have made empty threats in past he thinks he can bumble on and ignore you.

You don’t have to go down any “legal routes.” He’s an adult, and an excluded occupier in your home. He isn’t a tenant with tenancy protections nor someone with a legal right to live in the property. You just need to give reasonable notice, which you’ve done, and then change the locks at the end of it, making arrangements for him to collect his possessions or have them collected if he hasn’t shifted them by then. It won’t be very nice, as he’s your son and will very likely rupture your relationship at least temporarily; but it needs to be done. He isn’t respecting your home and he isn’t even trying to contribute.

He’ll qualify for UC as a jobseeker and the housing element of UC for a room in a shared house, until he finds a job. He’s 24, not a helpless just turned 18-year-old, he’s capable of doing what plenty of men his age are doing.

Really feel for you.

Does he have any plans or interests?

What does he do all day?

I totally understand you feel powerless.

Very hard to make a child homeless.

Does he go out, is there anyone you can call to get some help with him?

does he have cousins or family who can invite him out for the day so you can change the locks and get a dead bolt fitted?

If the gently approach hasn’t worked you will have to be harder and force him out. There’s not much you can do if he refuses to engage and has resorted to bullying you

I have four kids 22 to 33. All been and
completed uni ,got jobs and moved away from family home and enjoying life, my youngest in final 6 months and applying for jobs all over the country, it's still the uni holidays so currently balancing working in a fast food restaurant, writing assignments and revising.

💕He wants something he has to pay for it, hence has saved £3k to have a deposit on a flat/accommodation when he finds a job. I have been a single parent forever but have always worked and I fully understand how you now want to live your own life on your own terms. When my son was on a work placement from uni he paid £50 per week which just covered his food, I couldn't afford to keep him even when working never mind on a pension. He needs to claim universal credit, and housing help until he gets a job, he will have to apply for jobs to receive this help, at 24 he is more than capable, just pull the rug.
Good luck

Of course he could live away from "home" at 24 and it sounds a very difficult situation for you But it's hard to know what's going on with your descriptions sorry. If you want a future relationship with him you will need to sit down and have a proper conversation

OP doesn't have to fund his life either though!

I’d sell and buy a lovely one bedroom. Would free you some money up too. It could be in the same area.

He can claim universal credit but they won’t give him accommodation, he has to actually find a cheap flat share.

Can you explain how he is being coercively controlling?

I'm not sure why you think the government should fund his life just because he's too lazy to earn a living to be honest.

He does not want to apply enough care in my home for hygiene and protecting items in my home. (A 3-bed house). He has refused to accept my rules for my home

What does that mean. What rules?

Where is supposed to go and how will he pay for it?

I think you need to write down exactly how much it costs to have him living there and go through it with him.