Notice periods in England have changed significantly under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Section 21 (which required only 2 months' notice) is gone. Landlords must now use Section 8 grounds, each with a different statutory notice period, some as long as 4 months. Tenants in Periodic Assured Tenancies must give at least 2 months' notice to end the tenancy. This guide sets out all the current notice periods in one place.
The accelerated procedure is also gone
The accelerated possession procedure (available for Section 21 claims) was abolished with Section 21. All possession claims from 1 May 2026 go through the standard or fast-track Section 8 procedure, which requires a court hearing, adding time to the process.
Section 8 notice periods by ground (from 1 May 2026)
| Ground | Basis | Notice Period | Mandatory/Discretionary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground 1 | Landlord/family to occupy | 4 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 1A | Landlord intends to sell | 4 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 2 | Mortgage lender repossessing | 4 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 4A | Student HMO (re-letting to students) | 4 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 6 | Redevelopment | 4 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 7 | Death of periodic tenant (no succession) | 2 months | Mandatory |
| Ground 7A | Serious criminal conviction at property | Immediately | Mandatory |
| Ground 7B | Illegal occupation (immigration) | 2 weeks | Mandatory |
| Ground 8 | Serious rent arrears (3+ months) | 4 weeks | Mandatory |
| Ground 9 | Suitable alternative accommodation | 2 months | Discretionary |
| Ground 10 | Some rent arrears | 4 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 11 | Persistent rent late payment | 4 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 12 | Breach of tenancy term | 2 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 13 | Waste or neglect of property | 2 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 14 | Nuisance or annoyance to neighbours | Immediately | Discretionary |
| Ground 14A | Domestic violence | 2 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 15 | Damage to furniture | 2 weeks | Discretionary |
| Ground 17 | False statement to obtain tenancy | 2 weeks | Discretionary |
Tenant notice to end a Periodic Assured Tenancy
Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, tenants in a Periodic Assured Tenancy must give a minimum of 2 months' written notice to end the tenancy:
- Minimum notice period: 2 months (regardless of the rental period, weekly, monthly, or otherwise)
- Notice must be in writing, verbal notice is not sufficient to end a statutory periodic tenancy
- The notice must specify the date on which the tenant proposes to vacate, this must be at least 2 months from the date of service
- The tenant does not need to cite a reason for leaving, they can simply give 2 months' notice
- A joint tenant giving notice ends the entire joint tenancy for all joint tenants, not just for themselves
- If the tenant leaves without giving notice (abandonment), the tenancy does not automatically end, follow the tenancy abandonment procedure
Landlord notice to end a tenancy, the ground requirement
- A landlord cannot end a Periodic Assured Tenancy by serving a landlord's notice to quit, there is no landlord equivalent of the tenant's 2-month notice
- To recover possession, the landlord must serve Form 3A citing one or more Section 8 grounds and wait for the appropriate notice period to expire
- If the tenant does not vacate after the notice period, the landlord must apply to the County Court for a possession order
- There is no mechanism under the Renters' Rights Act for a landlord to end a tenancy by agreement without using a deed of surrender, both landlord and tenant must sign the surrender
Timing rules for notice periods
- Start of the notice period: The notice period runs from the date the notice is received by the tenant, not the date it is sent. If sent by first-class post, add 2 working days for deemed receipt
- Minimum tenancy duration for Grounds 1 and 1A: The notice for Grounds 1 and 1A cannot expire before 12 months from the start of the tenancy, even if the 4-month notice period has run
- Ground 14 (immediate possession): A notice for Ground 14 can be served and proceedings issued without any waiting period, the notice can specify a hearing date
- Do not file early: The court will reject a possession claim filed before the notice period has fully expired, double-check the calculation before filing
Grounds 1 and 1A, the 12-month minimum tenancy rule
- The notice period for Grounds 1 (own occupation) and 1A (sale) is 4 months
- The notice cannot expire before the 12th month of the tenancy, even if 4 months' notice was given from month 1
- In practice: you cannot validly serve a Ground 1 or 1A notice until month 8 of the tenancy at the earliest, so that the 4-month notice period expires at or after month 12
- If you serve the notice earlier and it expires before 12 months, it is premature and defective
- This rule prevents landlords from using Grounds 1 and 1A as a disguised form of no-fault eviction in the early months of a tenancy
How to serve the notice correctly
Getting service right matters as much as the notice period itself, a service error invalidates the notice:
- Post: First-class post is assumed to be received on the second working day after posting, add 2 working days to the posting date before the notice period starts
- Email: Effective on the date the email is received, only use email if the tenancy agreement expressly permits this method of service
- Personal delivery: Effective on the date of delivery, obtain a signed receipt or take a dated photograph at the door
- Cite the expiry date on the notice: Form 3A has a field for the date after which possession is required, complete it and double-check the calculation from the deemed receipt date
What happens after the notice period expires
A Section 8 notice is not an eviction order. If the tenant does not vacate by the end of the notice period:
- Apply to the County Court for a possession order using the standard possession claim form (N5)
- The court will list a hearing, typically 6 to 12 weeks after the claim is issued in 2026
- At the hearing: mandatory grounds (if proven) result in an automatic possession order. Discretionary grounds require the judge to find it reasonable to grant possession
- If granted: the court gives the tenant 14 days to vacate (up to 42 days in cases of exceptional hardship)
- If the tenant still does not leave: apply for a warrant of possession, a County Court Bailiff (or High Court Enforcement Officer) enforces the eviction