It depends on your tenancy. On a joint tenancy, everyone named is responsible for the whole rent, so if a housemate leaves and stops paying, the landlord can ask the rest of you for their share. If you each have your own tenancy for your room, you only pay your own rent and the landlord cannot ask you to cover theirs.
Joint tenancy or separate room tenancies?
Look at your tenancy agreement first.
- Joint tenancy: one agreement for the whole home, signed by all of you. In England, Shelter says “everyone on the tenancy agreement is responsible for the whole rent”. If one person does not pay, the landlord can ask the other joint tenants to pay the missing rent. This is often called joint and several liability.
- Individual tenancies: each person has their own agreement, usually for a room. Shelter says you are only responsible for your share of the rent, and “your landlord cannot ask you to pay someone else’s share”.
On a joint tenancy, the landlord could also try to evict all of you over unpaid rent. With separate tenancies, one person’s arrears do not put everyone else’s home at risk in that way.
How a joint tenant leaves in England
The Renters’ Rights Act changed private renting in England on 1 May 2026. GOV.UK says most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on that date, and any end date in the agreement no longer applies.
For a joint periodic tenancy in England, Shelter’s guidance is:
- Any joint tenant can give notice to end the tenancy. They do not need the other tenants’ permission.
- The notice has to be 2 months, unless the landlord and all the tenants agree a shorter period in writing.
- A valid notice to quit ends the tenancy for everyone. So one housemate’s notice can mean the rest of you have to leave or agree a new tenancy with the landlord.
If a housemate simply moves out without ending the tenancy, the tenancy carries on. The rest of you remain responsible for the full rent to the landlord. How you sort out the money between yourselves is a separate matter.
Bringing in a replacement
A housemate cannot just hand their room to a friend. In England, Shelter says the landlord and all the joint tenants need to agree to the new tenant. All the new tenants should then sign a new agreement with the landlord. Get any agreement in writing.
Worked example (fictional)
Three friends share a flat on one joint tenancy in England. The rent is £1,800 a month, and they each pay £600 by private agreement.
| Situation | Rent due to landlord | Each remaining tenant |
|---|---|---|
| All three paying | £1,800 | £600 |
| Jo moves out, no replacement | £1,800 | £900 (£1,800 ÷ 2) |
| Replacement agreed and signed up | £1,800 | £600 |
If Jo leaves without paying, the landlord can still ask the other two for the full £1,800. They may try to recover Jo’s share from Jo, but that is between them and Jo.
If the three had separate room tenancies of £600 each, the other two would still pay £600 each. Jo’s room would be the landlord’s problem.
Scotland and Wales work differently
- Scotland (private residential tenancy): Shelter Scotland says that if you are the only joint tenant who wants to leave, you cannot give your own notice. Joint tenants end the tenancy together. You can ask the landlord’s permission to sign your part over to the remaining tenants or a new tenant. All joint tenants are responsible for all of the rent.
- Wales (occupation contracts): Citizens Advice says one joint contract-holder may be able to withdraw if they have a standard periodic contract, or a fixed-term contract with a break clause that allows it. You should usually give the landlord at least one month’s notice. The others can take on the leaver’s share, or may be able to add someone new.
Practical steps
- Check your agreement: joint or individual, and any terms on leaving.
- Talk early. Ask your housemate when they plan to go and whether they will give notice.
- Agree in writing who pays what until they leave, and how bills and the deposit will be split.
- Speak to the landlord about a replacement, or about a new tenancy for those staying.
- Work out whether you can afford a bigger share if no one replaces them.
Use the rent split calculator to see what each of you would pay with one fewer person, or with a new housemate on a different-sized room. If you might need to move, our moving house cost calculator and guide to budget overlap between tenancies can help you plan.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants, checked 4 October 2026
- Shelter England: Problems with rent in shared housing, checked 4 October 2026
- Shelter England: Ending a joint tenancy, checked 4 October 2026
- Shelter England: How to end a joint tenancy, checked 4 October 2026
- Shelter Scotland: Joint tenancy, checked 4 October 2026
- Citizens Advice Wales: If you want to end your occupation contract, checked 4 October 2026
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Report a possible error.