Eviction Notices
The rules changed fundamentally on 1 May 2026. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 no-fault eviction in the private rented sector in England. Existing tenancies converted to periodic assured tenancies with no end date, tenants can leave on two months' notice, and a landlord who wants possession must now prove a ground under section 8. Almost everything written online before that date is out of date. Call 0800 007 4103 free, any hour — and a one-hour consultation with a UK solicitor (£145, a fixed fee) can be booked right on the call.
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A notice is the start of a process, not the end of your tenancy — only a court order ends it, and only court-authorised officers enforce it. Never leave on the strength of a notice alone, and never ignore one either: engage, get advice, and put your response in writing.
Eviction Notices at a glance
What changed on 1 May 2026
Assured shorthold tenancies in the private rented sector in England ceased to exist and converted into periodic assured tenancies running indefinitely until the tenant ends them or the landlord establishes a ground for possession. Section 21 — the no-fault route that let a landlord recover a property without giving any reason — was abolished. Transitional arrangements covered notices already served: a valid section 21 given before 1 May 2026 had to be followed by court proceedings on or before 31 July 2026, a deadline that has now passed. Social housing provided by private registered providers follows later, from October 2027. Talk it through with a lawyer now →The section 8 grounds, in practice
Possession now runs on grounds, and they divide into two families. Tenant-fault grounds cover serious rent arrears, persistent late payment, breach of the tenancy, damage, and antisocial behaviour. Landlord-circumstance grounds cover matters such as the landlord or a close family member moving in, or selling the property, and these carry their own notice periods and protections designed to stop them being used as a back door to no-fault eviction — including restrictions on re-letting afterwards. Each ground has its own notice period and its own evidence requirements, and a notice that names the wrong ground or gets the period wrong is defective. Talk it through with a lawyer now →Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Wales moved first and separately: the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 replaced tenants with contract-holders and tenancies with occupation contracts, with its own notice regime and its own no-fault provisions and periods. Scotland abolished no-fault eviction back in 2017 with the private residential tenancy, under which a landlord must establish one of a defined list of grounds before the First-tier Tribunal. Northern Ireland runs a different system again, with its own notice periods that have been extended in recent years. So a single UK-wide answer to an eviction question does not exist — the nation matters before anything else. Talk it through with a lawyer now →If you have been given a notice, step by step
Eviction Notices — your questions answered
Can my landlord still use a section 21 no-fault notice?
Not in England. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 for the private rented sector, and the transitional window for section 21 notices served before that date closed on 31 July 2026. A landlord seeking possession now has to rely on a ground under section 8 and prove it. If you have been handed something described as a section 21 notice since then, it is not a valid route to possession and you should get advice rather than pack.
The notice says I must leave by a certain date. Do I have to go?
No. A notice is a step in a process, not an eviction. Your tenancy ends only when a court makes a possession order and, if you still do not leave, when court-authorised enforcement officers act on it. Landlords who change the locks, remove doors or cut off utilities are committing offences. Equally, do not ignore the notice — defending properly is what preserves your position, and an empty chair at the hearing produces an order.
I am a landlord with a tenant in serious arrears. What can I do now?
Serve the correct section 8 notice specifying the right ground and the correct notice period, with accurate arrears figures and proper service — defective notices are the single biggest cause of landlord delay, because they restart the whole process. Keep a clean rent ledger, correspond in writing, and consider a documented payment plan, which often recovers more money faster than possession proceedings do. Never resort to self-help: an unlawful eviction turns your arrears claim into your liability.
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