need advice urgently!

[pkkp]

Hi. Basically im a student living in a 5 bedroom house with 3 other roommates and everyone sort of went home/holiday over christmas new years (apart from 1) so we missed last months rent. Januarys rent is due now but we can all afford both payments however the estate agents told my only roommate who stayed over the holidays that he has to get out for not paying the rent and that they are changing the locks. They literally took all his stuff (around 4-5 big bags full including a PC) while he was there and chucked it outside the door. They left my stuff and the other twos but said the tenancy was over.

From what i know they need a court order to kick us out like that and a month late on rent isnt a good enough reason for a group of students. Anyway once i asked them for this court order they said they would get it to me asap. I waited 2 days and called them again and they suddenly changed their story saying that the only student at home 'surrendered' his tenancy when he left the property and that they changed the locks to ensure the safety of our stuff and we can pick up the new keys whenever. I just spoke to them again today and now they are saying that the entire tenancy agreement is over and none of us can go back. I asked them to put that in writing via email. I start uni on monday and i am pretty much homeless. I was wondering if what they did was even legal and whether they have any right at all to do something like that just when the new uni term is about to start.

Also we held rent back a few months ago because one of the rooms had a big hole in the ceiling the size of my hand that leaked water which i thought was a fire hazard. We ended up paying anyway even tho they didnt do anything about it.

Sorry for the wall of txt but any advice on what to do and help with me understanding the situation would be appreciated.

[JustinN]

Contact the housing officer at the local council and ask him/her to take action under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977