Section 21 Notice UK: Landlord Guide & May 2026 Abolition

Updated: February 2026 · England Only · Based on UK Law

This guide covers Section 21 abolition dates, notice requirements, validity criteria, court timelines and how to prepare for Section 8 evictions.

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A landlord in Bristol serves a Section 21 notice on a tenant who hasn’t paid rent in four months. Two months later, she files for accelerated possession. The court rejects it. The How to Rent guide she provided was the 2019 version — not the one current when the tenancy started in 2022. The notice is invalid. She has to start again.

By the time she corrects the error and serves a fresh notice, it’s May 2026. Section 21 has been abolished. Her only option now is Section 8 — and she needs to prove grounds she doesn’t have.

This is happening to landlords across England right now. Section 21 ends on 1 May 2026, and the margin for procedural error has never been thinner.

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Section 21 Abolition: What You Need to Know

Section 21 “no-fault” evictions are abolished from 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. This is the biggest change to residential lettings since the Housing Act 1988.

After this date, landlords can only regain possession using Section 8 grounds — which require proving specific reasons for eviction.

Key Dates for Section 21

Date	What Happens
27 October 2025	Renters’ Rights Act 2025 receives Royal Assent
30 April 2026	Last day to serve a Section 21 notice
1 May 2026	Section 21 abolished — no new notices can be served. All ASTs convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies.
31 July 2026	Court deadline — any Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 must have court proceedings filed by this date
After 31 July 2026	Section 21 completely finished — all evictions must use Section 8 grounds only

What Does This Mean for Landlords?

If you want to use Section 21, you must act now:

• • Serve your Section 21 notice by 30 April 2026 — this is the last day to serve a valid notice

• • File court proceedings by 31 July 2026 — even if you served a valid notice, if you don’t file with the court by this date, your notice becomes invalid

• • Plan for Section 8 — after these dates, Section 8 grounds are your only eviction route

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Can I Still Use Section 21?

Yes — but only until 30 April 2026, and only if you meet all the requirements.

Who Can Use Section 21 Now?

You can serve a Section 21 notice if:

• • Your tenancy is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

• • You have complied with all pre-requisites (deposit protection, gas safety certificate, EPC, How to Rent guide)

• • The tenancy is not in a fixed term without a break clause

• • You have not received a council improvement notice that remains outstanding

• • It is not a retaliatory eviction (within 6 months of tenant complaint to council)

If you’re not sure whether your tenancy qualifies, our Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement Template includes all the compliance checks you need.

What’s the Timeline If I Want Possession?

1. 1. Serve Section 21 notice now — give 2 months’ minimum notice using Form 6A

1. 1. Wait for notice period to expire — tenant has until the possession date to leave voluntarily

1. 1. File court proceedings — if tenant doesn’t leave, apply for accelerated possession (Form N5B)

1. 1. Get possession order — court reviews paperwork and grants order (6–8 weeks if undefended)

1. 1. Apply for bailiff — if tenant still doesn’t leave, bailiff enforces eviction (additional 4–6 weeks)

Example timeline:

• • Serve Section 21 notice: 1 February 2026

• • Possession date (2 months later): 1 April 2026

• • Tenant doesn’t leave, file court claim: 5 April 2026

• • Court grants possession order: mid-May 2026

• • Bailiff eviction if needed: June 2026

What If I Miss the Deadlines?

If you don’t serve a Section 21 notice by 30 April 2026: You cannot use Section 21 at all. You must use Section 8 grounds.

If you serve a Section 21 notice but don’t file court proceedings by 31 July 2026: Your notice becomes invalid. You must use Section 8 grounds.

If your Section 21 notice is invalid for any reason: You cannot rely on it. You must remedy the failure and serve a fresh notice (if before 30 April 2026) or use Section 8 grounds.

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Section 21 Requirements & Validity

A valid Section 21 notice requires strict compliance with multiple prerequisites. Missing any single requirement makes the notice invalid.

What Makes a Valid Section 21 Notice?

Form and notice period:

• • Must use prescribed Form 6A

• • Must give minimum 2 months’ notice

• • Possession date must be on or after the last day of a tenancy period (for periodic tenancies)

• • Cannot specify a possession date before the fixed term ends (unless break clause exists)

Pre-requisites — landlord must have provided:

• • Deposit protection — deposit protected in authorised scheme (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS) within 30 days of receipt

• • Prescribed information — deposit scheme details provided to tenant within 30 days

• • Gas Safety Certificate — valid CP12 provided before tenancy started and annually thereafter

• • Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — minimum rating E, provided before tenancy started

• • How to Rent guide — correct government version for when tenancy started

Need to verify your deposit protection compliance? Our Deposit Protection Notice Template covers prescribed information requirements and scheme notifications.

Restrictions — Section 21 cannot be served:

• • During a fixed term without a break clause

• • Within the first 4 months of the tenancy

• • Within 6 months of tenant complaint to council about property condition (retaliatory eviction protection)

• • While an improvement notice or prohibition order from the council is outstanding

• • If property requires but lacks HMO or selective licensing

How Long Is a Section 21 Notice Valid?

Section 21 notices are valid for 6 months from the possession date specified in the notice.

Landlords must apply to court for possession within this 6-month window. If you don’t file court proceedings within 6 months of the possession date, the notice expires and you would need to serve a fresh notice.

However, with abolition approaching: Even if your notice would normally be valid for 6 months, you must file court proceedings by 31 July 2026 at the latest. After this date, Section 21 notices cannot be used regardless of when they were served.

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What Makes a Section 21 Notice Invalid?

Section 21 notices are invalid if the landlord failed to meet any pre-requisite or served the notice incorrectly. Invalid notices allow tenants to remain — landlords must remedy failures and serve fresh notices (if still within the deadline).

Complete List of Invalid Section 21 Criteria

Error	Legal Requirement	Consequence
Deposit not protected	Housing Act 2004 — deposit must be in authorised scheme within 30 days	Section 21 invalid + tenant can claim 1–3x deposit penalty
Prescribed information not given	Deposit scheme details must be provided within 30 days	Section 21 invalid until information provided
How to Rent guide not provided	Deregulation Act 2015 — mandatory at tenancy start	Section 21 invalid
Wrong version How to Rent	Must use version current when tenancy started	Section 21 invalid until correct version provided
No Gas Safety Certificate	Gas Safety Regulations 1998 — valid CP12 before tenancy starts	Section 21 invalid until certificate provided
No EPC or below rating E	Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015 — minimum E rating	Section 21 invalid
Wrong prescribed form	Must use Form 6A for ASTs	Section 21 invalid
Insufficient notice period	Minimum 2 months required	Section 21 invalid
Served during fixed term	Cannot serve during fixed term without break clause	Section 21 invalid
Possession date before fixed term ends	Cannot require possession before tenancy naturally expires	Section 21 invalid
Retaliatory eviction	Deregulation Act 2015 — cannot serve within 6 months of tenant complaint	Section 21 invalid
Unlicensed property	HMO or selective licensing required but not obtained	Section 21 invalid until licensed
Not served on all joint tenants	Must serve on every joint tenant	Section 21 invalid for improperly served tenants
Outstanding improvement notice	Council improvement/prohibition notice not complied with	Section 21 suspended until compliance

What If My Section 21 Is Invalid?

1. 1. The tenant can challenge it and remain in the property

1. 1. You must remedy the failure (e.g., protect deposit, provide missing certificate)

1. 1. You must serve a fresh Section 21 notice with a new 2-month notice period

1. 1. The fresh notice must be served by 30 April 2026 to be valid under the transitional rules

If you cannot remedy the failure in time, you will need to use Section 8 grounds instead.

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Court Process & Timeline

If the tenant doesn’t leave voluntarily after a valid Section 21 notice, landlords must apply to court for a possession order.

Never attempt to evict without a court order — illegal eviction is a criminal offence.

How Does Accelerated Possession Work?

For undefended Section 21 claims, landlords can use the accelerated possession procedure:

1. 1. File Form N5B with the county court — include Section 21 notice, tenancy agreement, and evidence of all pre-requisites

1. 1. Court serves papers on tenant (5–7 days processing)

1. 1. Tenant has 14 days to file defence challenging notice validity

1. 1. If no defence filed — judge reviews paperwork only (no hearing) — 2–4 weeks

1. 1. Possession order granted if notice and documents are valid

1. 1. Tenant given 14–42 days to vacate (court discretion)

If the tenant files a defence, the case converts to standard possession proceedings with a court hearing. This adds several months to the timeline.

Section 21 Timeline (Undefended)

Stage	Timing	Action
Section 21 served	Day 0	Landlord serves Form 6A specifying possession date
Notice period	Weeks 1–8	2 months minimum notice runs
Possession date	Week 8	Date tenant required to vacate
File court claim	Week 9	Landlord files Form N5B if tenant doesn’t leave
Court serves papers	Week 10	Tenant receives court documents
Defence deadline	Week 12	14 days for tenant to challenge
Judge reviews	Week 14–16	Paperwork review (no hearing if undefended)
Possession order	Week 16	Court grants possession
Tenant vacate deadline	Week 18–22	14–42 days after order
Bailiff warrant	Week 20–24	Apply for bailiff if tenant still present
Eviction	Week 22–26	Bailiff enforces eviction

Total timeline: 4–6 months from serving notice to actual eviction (undefended). Defended claims: 6–10 months.

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Planning for After May 2026

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 is abolished and all ASTs automatically convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies. Landlords must prepare for a Section 8-only eviction framework.

What Changes on 1 May 2026?

• • Section 21 abolished — no new notices can be served

• • All ASTs convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies — fixed terms become ineffective

• • Section 8 becomes the only eviction route — must prove specific grounds

• • New Section 8 grounds — including landlord wishes to sell, landlord/family wishes to move in

• • Rent increases limited — once per year only, via Section 13 procedure

• • Rental bidding banned — cannot accept offers above advertised rent

• • Pet requests — tenants can request pets; landlords cannot unreasonably refuse

Section 8 Grounds for Possession

Mandatory grounds (court must grant possession if proven):

• • Ground 1 — Landlord or family member wishes to live in the property

• • Ground 1A (new) — Landlord wishes to sell the property

• • Ground 8 — At least 3 months’ rent arrears (increased from 2 months)

Discretionary grounds (court decides based on reasonableness):

• • Ground 10/11 — Some rent arrears

• • Ground 12 — Breach of tenancy agreement

• • Ground 14 — Nuisance or antisocial behaviour

• • Ground 17 — Tenant provided false information

Notice periods vary: 2 weeks for serious issues (rent arrears, antisocial behaviour), 4 months for sale or landlord occupation grounds. Our Section 8 Notice Template covers all current and new grounds with the correct notice periods built in.

Which Templates Are Affected by the May 2026 Changes?

Several landlord documents will need updating when the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 takes effect. If you’ve already purchased any of these templates, the updated version will appear automatically in your My Templates dashboard at no extra cost.

• • Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement — becomes an Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement with no fixed terms and updated termination clauses

• • Section 21 Notice — becomes obsolete after 1 May 2026 (use until 30 April 2026 only)

• • Section 8 Notice — updated with new grounds (sale, occupation) and revised notice periods

• • Guarantor Agreement — updated for periodic tenancies with no fixed end date and maximum liability periods

• • Rent Increase Notice — updated to mandatory Section 13 procedure with annual limit and 2 months’ notice

All updates are included free under our lifetime updates policy — when we update a template for law changes, the new version appears automatically in your dashboard at no additional cost.

What Should Landlords Do Now?

1. 1. Decide if you need to use Section 21 — if you want to end a tenancy without grounds, serve notice by 30 April 2026

1. 1. Review your current tenancies — understand they will convert to periodic on 1 May 2026

1. 1. Familiarise yourself with Section 8 grounds — this becomes your only eviction route

1. 1. Update your templates — get Assured Periodic Tenancy agreements ready for new lettings from May 2026

1. 1. Review guarantor agreements — ensure they cover periodic tenancies adequately

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Section 21 vs Section 8: Quick Comparison

Element	Section 21 (Until 30 April 2026)	Section 8 (From 1 May 2026 onwards)
Basis	No-fault (no reason needed)	Fault-based (must prove specific grounds)
Notice period	2 months (always)	2 weeks to 4 months (depends on ground)
Court process	Accelerated (paperwork only, no hearing)	Full hearing (must prove grounds with evidence)
Pre-requisites	Deposit, gas, EPC, How to Rent required	None (but grounds must genuinely exist)
Timeline	4–6 months (undefended)	4–10 months (depends on defence and court)
Status	Ends 1 May 2026	Only eviction route from 1 May 2026

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Frequently Asked Questions: Section 21 Notice UK

Has Section 21 been abolished in the UK?

Section 21 is abolished from 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Landlords can still serve Section 21 notices until 30 April 2026, but must file court proceedings by 31 July 2026. After these dates, all evictions must use Section 8 grounds.

Can I still use Section 21?

Yes — until 30 April 2026. You can serve a Section 21 notice if you meet all pre-requisites (deposit protection, gas safety, EPC, How to Rent). Any notice served must have court proceedings filed by 31 July 2026 at the latest, or it becomes invalid.

What is a Section 21 notice?

A Section 21 notice is a “no-fault” eviction notice under the Housing Act 1988. It allows landlords to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy without proving any grounds. Requires Form 6A, 2 months’ minimum notice, and compliance with deposit protection, gas safety, EPC and How to Rent requirements. Being abolished 1 May 2026.

What makes a Section 21 notice invalid?

Section 21 is invalid if: deposit not protected within 30 days, prescribed information not given, How to Rent guide not provided, Gas Safety Certificate missing, EPC missing or below rating E, wrong form used, insufficient notice period, served during fixed term without break clause, or retaliatory eviction. Invalid notices allow tenants to remain.

How long is a Section 21 notice valid?

Normally 6 months from the possession date. However, with abolition approaching, court proceedings must be filed by 31 July 2026 regardless of when the notice was served. After this date, Section 21 notices cannot be used.

What happens after a Section 21 notice is served?

The 2-month notice period runs, then the tenant can leave voluntarily or stay. If the tenant doesn’t leave, the landlord applies for accelerated possession (paperwork-only court process). Total timeline: 4–6 months from notice to eviction if undefended.

What is the difference between Section 21 and Section 8?

Section 21 is no-fault (no reason needed). Section 8 requires proving specific grounds. Section 21 has accelerated possession (no hearing). Section 8 requires a full court hearing with evidence. Section 21 ends 1 May 2026 — Section 8 becomes the only eviction route.

What happens to Section 21 on 1 May 2026?

Section 21 is abolished. No new notices can be served. All ASTs automatically convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies. Notices served before 1 May 2026 remain valid only if court proceedings are filed by 31 July 2026. After that, all evictions must use Section 8 grounds.

What should landlords do now?

If you want to use Section 21, serve notice by 30 April 2026. File court proceedings by 31 July 2026. Otherwise, prepare for Section 8-only evictions by familiarising yourself with the grounds and updating your templates.

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Related Guides

• • Section 8 Notice Guide UK

• • Assured Shorthold Tenancy Guide UK

• • Deposit Protection Notice Guide UK

• • End of Tenancy Confirmation Guide UK

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Last updated: February 2026

Disclaimer: This guide provides general information about Section 21 notices in England, not legal advice. Laws are current as of February 2026. Section 21 is abolished from 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

Official Sources & Further Reading

• • GOV.UK: No-fault evictions to end by May 2026

• • GOV.UK: Evicting tenants (England)

• • Renters’ Rights Act 2025: Implementation Roadmap

• • Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (Full Text)

• • Shelter: Section 21 Notices

• • National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)