She has taken my keys to the house!?

[WibbleWobble1]

Hi all

I just wanted to get a bit of legal advice. For just over 1 year I have lived with my DO and her son.

We live in a council property which is under her name. I pay the rent and council tax etc.

We have gone through an awful patch. Yesterday she removed my door keys from my key ring. This happened without my knowledge just before I was due to collect my son and visit my dad for the weekend. She has refused to give me the keys back.

When I return from my dad's I will not be able to get into the house. Homeless I guess..

I am now really stuck.. is she legally able to do this?

Yes, she can, is the short answer.

You are an excluded occupier (unless you ever set up a tenancy agreement subletting from her?) which means you have almost no rights.

You do have the right to 'reasonable notice' before being evicted, but that notice would have to come from the landlord and it's not clear whether she is your landlord (did you pay her the rent and CT, or to the council directly?).

Cancel all direct debits and tell the council that you won't be paying any more rent /CT for that property. Can you stay with your dad for a few days while you look around private rentals? Do you have any savings for the deposit?

I have nowhere to go. I also work from home which is a major issue.

Really, you have nowhere? Your dad let you stay for a weekend, he can't have you a few more days? Then find a cheap hotel or B&B and get on Rightmove and look for a new place. You could go to the council and tell them you're homeless but as you aren't particularly vulnerable you won't get much immediate help from them.

Have you spoken to her again yet? Perhaps she cooled down enough to let you back.

And obviously this has the benefit of hindsight, but really you shouldn't have put yourself in such a vulnerable position. Always insist on security for yourself, whether that's a tenancy agreement or being put on the deeds or whatever.