Protected Intending Occupier (PIO) is a term used in UK housing to refer to a person who is intending to occupy a residential property, and who is protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. A PIO is a person who is in the process of buying or renting a property, and is protected by the act from eviction by the landlord, even if they do not yet have a tenancy agreement or other legal right to live in the property. The purpose of the protection is to ensure that a person does not face the hardship of being evicted from a property before a tenancy agreement is in place or before the purchase of the property is complete. The scope of the protection extends to anyone who is intending to occupy the property as their home, regardless of whether they are buying or renting the property.