Section 8 Ground 14A — Domestic Abuse Possession Ground UK 2026 (RRA 2025)

What is Ground 14A?

Ground 14A is a mandatory Section 8 possession ground introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It is specifically designed for joint tenancies where domestic abuse has caused one tenant to leave the property.

• Statutory basis: Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2 Ground 14A, as inserted/amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025
• Type: Mandatory ground — the court must grant possession if the conditions are proved; there is no judicial discretion
• Applies to: Joint tenancies only — both assured and assured shorthold periodic tenancies under the post-RRA 2025 framework
• Core condition: One joint tenant has left the dwelling because of domestic abuse perpetrated by the other joint tenant
• Evidence required: A Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN) issued by police, or a written statement from a qualified domestic abuse support organisation or social services
• Notice period: 2 weeks minimum (Form 3A must cite Ground 14A)

Ground 14A conditions — detailed analysis

Before serving a Section 8 notice citing Ground 14A, the landlord must be satisfied that all of the following conditions are met:

• Joint tenancy: The tenancy must be a joint tenancy — i.e., held by two or more tenants jointly. Ground 14A is not available for sole tenancies
• One tenant has left the dwelling: The victim tenant must have physically left the property. The ground is not available if both tenants remain in occupation
• The reason for leaving is domestic abuse: The victim must have left because of domestic abuse perpetrated by the other joint tenant. The nexus between the abuse and the departure must be established by the evidence document
• Domestic abuse by the other joint tenant: The perpetrator must be the other joint tenant — not a third party. Abuse by a non-tenant (e.g. a visitor or former partner who is not a joint tenant) does not engage Ground 14A, though it may engage other grounds or remedies
• Required evidence: Either (a) a Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN) issued by the police under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, or (b) a statement from a relevant support organisation confirming the circumstances

Evidence — Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN) and support-service statements

Ground 14A has specific evidential requirements designed to prevent landlords from misusing the ground and to provide objective confirmation of the domestic abuse.

• Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN): Issued by a police officer of at least the rank of inspector under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 s.22. The DAPN prohibits the perpetrator from contacting or being in the same dwelling as the victim and can be issued without a court order. A DAPN automatically satisfies the evidential requirement for Ground 14A
• Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO): Where a DAPO has been granted by the court (under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 s.28), this provides even stronger evidence — it is a court order and breach is a criminal offence (up to 5 years imprisonment)
• Support-service statement: Where no DAPN or DAPO has been issued, a written statement from a relevant support organisation satisfies the evidential requirement. 'Relevant support organisation' means a specialist domestic abuse service (IDVA, IDAS, DASH risk-assessment service), Refuge or Women's Aid member service, or local authority housing or social services team with responsibility for domestic abuse referrals
• What the statement must confirm: The statement should confirm (a) the identity of the victim tenant, (b) the identity of the alleged perpetrator as the other joint tenant, (c) that the victim has left the dwelling, and (d) that the reason for leaving is domestic abuse by the other joint tenant
• Landlord's role: The landlord is not required to investigate or adjudicate the domestic abuse allegation — the landlord's role is to obtain and present the evidence document. The court determines whether the statutory conditions are met

Notice requirements — Form 3A, Ground 14A, 2-week minimum

A valid Section 8 notice is a precondition to any possession claim under Ground 14A. Defects in the notice can be fatal to the claim.

• Prescribed form: Form 3A (the post-RRA 2025 prescribed form under the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) Regulations as amended). The pre-RRA 2025 Form 3 is no longer valid for new proceedings
• Ground to cite: Ground 14A must be specified on the notice. If the landlord also relies on other grounds (e.g. Ground 14, Ground 8), all grounds must be cited on the same notice
• Minimum notice period: 2 weeks from the date of service of the notice. Possession proceedings may not be issued before this period expires
• Service: The notice must be served on all joint tenants. Service on only one joint tenant is defective. Service methods: personal service; first class post (deemed served on the second working day after posting); leaving at the property
• Content: The notice must state the ground(s) relied on, provide particulars of the ground(s), and specify the date after which proceedings may begin. All content must be accurate — errors in the particulars may allow a tenant to challenge the notice
• Retaliatory eviction safeguard: The RRA 2025 framework retains safeguards against retaliatory eviction. Ground 14A is a specific domestic abuse ground and does not engage the retaliatory eviction provisions, but landlords should ensure the notice is not served in a context that could be characterised as retaliation for a repair complaint

Court proceedings — applying for a possession order

If tenants do not vacate after the Section 8 notice expires, the landlord must apply to the county court for a possession order.

• Possession Claim Online (PCOL): Most residential possession claims are issued via the PCOL portal (possessionclaim.gov.uk). The landlord files the claim form (Form N5) and grounds for possession (Form N119) online
• Court fee: The current court fee for a standard possession claim is £391 (2026 rate; check HMCTS for updates). Accelerated possession is not available for Section 8 Ground 14A — the mandatory nature of the ground requires a hearing
• Hearing: The court will list a possession hearing. The landlord must attend and present evidence of the Ground 14A conditions — the tenancy agreement, the Form 3A notice, and the DAPN or support-service statement
• Mandatory outcome: Where the court is satisfied that the Ground 14A conditions are proved, it must grant the possession order. The court has no discretion to refuse possession on mandatory grounds (unlike discretionary grounds such as Ground 14, where the court may refuse if it is not reasonable to grant possession)
• Postponement: The court may postpone the possession date for up to 6 weeks (14 days in most cases) if immediate possession would cause exceptional hardship — but this is limited on mandatory grounds
• Costs: The landlord can apply for costs. In practice, costs orders in residential possession proceedings are discretionary

Interaction with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and RRA 2025 joint tenancy protections

Ground 14A sits alongside the wider domestic abuse legal framework. Landlords should understand how the different pieces of legislation interact.

• Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN): Issued by police under DA Act 2021 s.22 — satisfies the Ground 14A evidential requirement and may require the abuser to leave the property before any possession proceedings begin
• Occupation orders (Family Law Act 1996): The victim may obtain an occupation order from the Family Court excluding the abuser from the property. An occupation order does not terminate the joint tenancy but can provide immediate protection while the landlord prepares Ground 14A proceedings
• RRA 2025 periodic tenancy framework and the Monk rule: The RRA 2025 prevents a single joint tenant unilaterally ending the whole joint tenancy — protecting the victim from having the tenancy ended by the abuser. Ground 14A is the landlord's complementary tool to reclaim the property once the victim has left
• Victim's right to a new tenancy: Where the landlord obtains possession under Ground 14A, the victim who has left has no automatic right to be re-housed as a tenant. However, many landlords with a domestic violence policy will consider re-granting a new sole tenancy to the victim if they wish to return
• Local authority homelessness duty: A victim who has left the property may be homeless and entitled to local authority housing assistance under the Housing Act 1996 Part VII (as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017). Landlords should signpost victims to their local authority housing/homelessness team

Practical checklist — using Ground 14A

• Confirm joint tenancy: Check the tenancy agreement — are there two or more named joint tenants?
• Confirm one tenant has left: Obtain written confirmation from the victim that they have left the property, or note the position if it is obvious from the circumstances
• Obtain evidence: Secure a DAPN from the police, or a written statement from a domestic abuse support organisation or social services
• Complete Form 3A: Cite Ground 14A (and any other applicable grounds). Set the notice expiry date at least 2 weeks from the service date
• Serve on all joint tenants: Serve the Form 3A notice on all joint tenants — including the abuser who remains in the property and the victim at their current address (or former address if current address unknown, noting the service attempt)
• Wait for notice period to expire: Do not issue court proceedings before 2 weeks after service
• Issue possession claim: File the N5 and N119 via the PCOL portal or county court. Attach the tenancy agreement, Form 3A notice (with proof of service), and the DAPN or support-service statement
• Attend hearing: Present the evidence to the court. The judge must grant possession if the conditions are proved
• Enforce if required: If the abuser does not vacate after the possession order, apply for a warrant of possession (Form N325)