Section 21 is gone: the grounds you can evict on now, the notice each needs, and Ground 4A for student lets

In England, section 21 has gone for private assured tenancies from 1 May 2026, so a private landlord now needs a section 8 ground and, if the tenant stays, a court order. Wales uses occupation contracts, Scotland uses private residential tenancy grounds, and Northern Ireland still works through notice to quit rather than the English section 8 ground list.

What grounds can a landlord evict a tenant on now?

A private landlord in England can now evict only by using a statutory section 8 ground for possession, not by serving a section 21 no-fault notice. The commencement note says the Renters’ Rights Act changes include “the abolition of fixed term and shorthold assured tenancies, so that all tenancies under that Act will now be assured periodic tenancies, and the abolition of ‘section 21 evictions’,” and GOV.UK states: “This means that you will need to have a reason, known as a ground for possession, to end the tenancy.” The new eviction laws in the UK 2026 therefore matter most in England: valid reasons to evict tenants include occupation by the landlord or family, sale, mortgagee sale, student re-letting, redevelopment, enforcement, death, serious rent arrears, breach, deterioration, anti-social behaviour, employment-linked accommodation and other Schedule 2 grounds. Wales still allows a no-fault landlord’s notice for periodic standard contracts; Scotland requires a statutory ground; Northern Ireland uses written notice to quit.

How does a landlord end a tenancy now that every tenancy is periodic?

A landlord ends an English private assured periodic tenancy after 1 May 2026 by serving a section 8 notice on one or more possession grounds and then applying to court if the tenant does not leave. GOV.UK is explicit: “Since 1 May 2026 you can only give your tenant a notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 to end the tenancy,” and “If your tenant does not leave by the date in the notice, you will need to apply to the court for a possession order.” A landlord’s notice to quit does not terminate an assured tenancy, because the Act refers landlords back to “section 5(1) of the Housing Act 1988(notice to quit by landlord is of no effect).” Ending fixed-term tenancies as a landlord is therefore no longer the old wait-for-term-end plus section 21 route in England; it is a ground-based section 8 process. A tenant’s own notice is different: the default is at least two months unless a shorter written period is agreed.

How much notice do you have to give, ground by ground?

For English private assured tenancies, the section 8 notice period is ground-specific: Ground 7A has no waiting period, Grounds 12 and 13 need two weeks, rent-arrears Grounds 8, 10 and 11 need four weeks, many employment and succession grounds need two months, and sale, occupation, student, redevelopment and enforcement grounds generally need four months. The statutory rule is that, unless Ground 7A or 14 is used, the date in the notice “must not be before the end of the longest period shown in the following table for any ground specified in the notice,” so using more than one ground means the longest notice period controls. Ground 4A’s notice period is four months in the ordinary case; the special two-month transitional window for existing student tenancies ran only from 1 May to 30 July 2026. Ground 8 is four weeks despite GOV.UK tenant guidance still carrying a weekly/fortnightly typo. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate systems: they are not governed by this English table.

What changed for rent arrears?

The main English rent-arrears change is that mandatory Ground 8 is harder to reach: monthly rent arrears moved from two months to three months, weekly or fortnightly arrears moved from eight weeks to thirteen weeks, and the notice period for rent-arrears grounds is now four weeks. The Renters’ Rights Act amendment states that in Ground 8 paragraph (b), “for ‘two’ substitute ‘three’,” and for weekly or fortnightly arrears, “for ‘eight’ substitute ‘thirteen’.” The Act’s explanatory notes say: “The Act increases the notice period for the rent arrears grounds to four weeks.” A narrow Universal Credit protection also applies: arrears are ignored only where they are unpaid because the tenant has not yet received the housing element of Universal Credit, not because of any other benefit delay. Landlords with bad tenants commonly plead Grounds 8, 10 and 11 together, because Ground 8 is mandatory if proved while Grounds 10 and 11 remain discretionary back-ups. Abodient can hold the rent ledger showing exactly when each payment fell due and what was received, which matters because Grounds 8, 10 and 11 all turn on being able to show precisely how much rent was unpaid and for how long.

What is Ground 4A, and which student tenancies qualify for it?

Ground 4A is the English possession ground for a student HMO needed for the next student letting between 1 June and 30 September, and it normally works only where the home is an HMO or in an HMO, all joint tenants meet the student test, the landlord gave prior written warning, and the next letting is intended for students. The Act says Ground 4A applies where “the dwelling-house is in an HMO or is an HMO,” and adds that with joint tenants “the tenant does not meet the student test unless all of those persons meet that test.” The relevant possession date must fall “within the period beginning with 1 June and ending with 30 September,” and the landlord must intend the next letting to a tenant who meets the student test. The narrow exception is existing qualifying student tenancies where a specified housing-management code landlord or manager can use Ground 4A without the usual HMO or June–September conditions. One- and two-bed student lets are the pressure point because many will not be HMOs.

Is there a Ground 4A notice form or template?

There is no separate government Ground 4A form: the possession notice is the section 8 Form 3A, while the pre-tenancy Ground 4A written warning can be in any written form, including the tenancy agreement. GOV.UK says of the written information duty: “You can provide the notice in any form of writing, including in a tenancy agreement,” and warns that for Ground 4A “you will not be able to use the ground at all” if that prior notice was required but not given. The assured-tenancy forms page identifies Form 3A as the section 8 notice: “This form is also known as a Section 8 notice.” Do not confuse this with Form 4A, which GOV.UK describes as the form used by a landlord who wants “to propose a new rent.” The safest Ground 4A notice template approach is therefore two documents: prior written Ground 4A warning before or in the tenancy, and Form 3A when possession is later sought.

Can you use Ground 4A outside the summer window, or purely to re-let to next year's students?

A landlord cannot normally use Ground 4A outside the 1 June to 30 September possession-date window, but using it to re-let to next year’s students is exactly what the ground is designed for if all conditions are met. The statute requires that “the relevant date falls within the period beginning with 1 June and ending with 30 September in any year,” and also requires that the landlord “intends, on the next occasion on which the dwelling-house is let, to let it to a tenant who meets the student test.” GOV.UK summarises the same point: “You can use this ground if your HMO is let to full-time students and is needed for a new group of students in line with the academic year between 1 June and 30 September.” The hard edge is timing: a new student group needing to move in early does not itself move the statutory window, and an autumn sign-up for the following academic year may collide with Ground 4A’s six-month condition.

Which ground applies when the lender repossesses the property - Ground 2?

Ground 2 is the English assured-tenancy ground where a mortgagee requires possession to sell with vacant possession under a power of sale, but it is not always the procedure used when a landlord’s lender repossesses. The statutory wording is about the mortgagee requiring possession “for the purpose of disposing of it with vacant possession in exercise of that power,” and from 1 May 2026 the mortgage no longer has to pre-date the tenancy because the Renters’ Rights Act omits the old “granted before the beginning of the tenancy” wording. If the tenancy binds the lender, Ground 2 is the section 8 route and the ordinary notice period is four months. If the tenancy does not bind the lender, Shelter’s legal guidance says “The lender does not need to take the tenants to court separately to evict them,” although unauthorised tenants can apply for up to two months’ postponement. Scotland has a separate lender ground; Wales and Northern Ireland do not use English Ground 2.

Do you have to rehouse the tenant if you use Ground 6 to redevelop?

A private landlord in England using Ground 6 to redevelop does not have a general statutory duty to rehouse the tenant or pay moving costs, although the court and the exact facts still matter. Shelter states the private-landlord position plainly: “The landlord does not have to provide alternative housing for the tenant.” The Renters’ Rights Act wording that creates an extra RSL condition applies “only in a case where the landlord seeking possession is” within the relevant social-landlord category, so it should not be read as a private-landlord rehousing rule. Ground 6 is still a narrow redevelopment ground, not a general route for refurbishments, retrofit inconvenience or wanting an empty property; NRLA’s practical warning is that “Ground 6 will only apply in a limited number of situations.” Wales is different: its estate-management redevelopment route requires the court to be satisfied that “suitable alternative accommodation is available.” Scotland has a separate disruptive-works ground; Northern Ireland does not have English Ground 6.

Can you get possession to comply with council enforcement action, and is that Ground 6A or Ground 6B?

The ground for complying with a council enforcement notice is Ground 6B, not Ground 6A; Ground 6A is a social-landlord decant ground and is not the private-landlord enforcement ground. Some market sites get this backwards, but Schedule 2 says Ground 6A starts with the condition that “the landlord seeking possession … is a relevant social landlord,” and GOV.UK says: “This ground applies to relevant social landlords only.” Ground 6B is the enforcement ground open to landlords where continued occupation is incompatible with specified enforcement action, including where “compliance with a planning enforcement notice or injunction would be, or is, incompatible with continued occupation of the dwelling-house by the tenant.” For overcrowding, an improvement notice is not enough just because it is under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004: the Ground 6B wording requires that it “specifies overcrowding as the deficiency.” A landlord should have the actual notice, order or injunction in hand before building the claim; the 6B notice period is four months.

What is Ground 5B, for accommodation tied to employment?

Ground 5B is an English possession ground for private registered providers of social housing using accommodation for tenants who meet employment requirements, not the ordinary private-landlord ground for a tied cottage or staff flat. Schedule 2 limits the ground to a landlord that “is a private registered provider of social housing,” and GOV.UK explains the practical category: “You can use this ground if you usually use the property to let to a tenant based on their employment, for example, key workers.” The common private-sector employment case is usually Ground 5C, not 5B: GOV.UK says Ground 5C applies where “your tenant was employed by you and your property was rented out as part of their employment” and the tenant is no longer your employee. Private registered provider reforms are staged separately, with GOV.UK stating that “The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changes will only apply to PRPs from 2027.” Scotland has its own employee-housing ground; Wales and Northern Ireland do not use Ground 5B.

What counts as a breach of the tenancy agreement?

For English assured tenancies, Ground 12 covers any non-rent tenancy obligation that has been broken or not performed, but it is discretionary, so the court can refuse possession if eviction is not reasonable. The statutory wording is broad: “Any obligation of the tenancy (other than one related to the payment of rent) has been broken or not performed.” That means a breach of tenancy terms can include a prohibited pet, unauthorised subletting, failing to give access, damage, nuisance clauses or other covenants, provided the tenancy actually contains the obligation relied on. It does not include rent arrears, which have their own grounds. GOV.UK says discretionary grounds leave it to the court “to decide whether it reasonable to evict your tenant,” and the notice period for Ground 12 is two weeks. In practice, a serious breach of the lease is much stronger than a technical or trivial one. Ground 12 claims are not rent-only PCOL claims; GOV.UK describes PCOL as for evicting a tenant “only for owing you rent.”

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• S.I. 2026/421 explanatory note — “Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the 2025 Act makes various changes to the Housing Act 1988 (c. 50)(“the 1988 Act”), including the abolition of fixed term and shorthold assured tenancies, so that all tenancies under that Act will now be assured periodic tenancies, and the abolition of “section 21 evictions” (also known as “no fault evictions”).” Source
• GOV.UK, repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 — “This means that you will need to have a reason, known as a ground for possession, to end the tenancy.” Source
• GOV.WALES, Renting Homes frequently asked questions for landlords — “A landlord may issue a landlord’s notice to a contract-holder to end a periodic standard contract without having to give a reason for doing so.” Source
• mygov.scot, Private residential tenancy: ending a tenancy — “You cannot evict your tenant for no reason.” Source
• Northern Ireland Schedule 1 prescribed information — “To end a tenancy a written ‘Notice to Quit’ must be given by the landlord or you (the tenant), to the other party, except in the case of a fixed term tenancy, where it ends as agreed.” Source
• GOV.UK, repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 — “Since 1 May 2026 you can only give your tenant a notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 to end the tenancy.” Source
• GOV.UK, repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 — “If your tenant does not leave by the date in the notice, you will need to apply to the court for a possession order.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 s.20 — “But in relation to landlords under assured tenancies see section 5(1) of the Housing Act 1988(notice to quit by landlord is of no effect).” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 s.20 — “(ii) in the absence of agreement under sub-paragraph (i), not less than two months before the date on which the notice is to take effect;” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 s.3 — “(4AA) If a notice under this section does not specify Ground 7A or 14 in Schedule 2, the date specified in the notice as mentioned in subsection (3)(b) must not be before the end of the longest period shown in the following table for any ground specified in the notice.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for tenants — “Your landlord does not need to give a notice period and can apply immediately to the court to start the process to evict you once they have given you notice.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “You must give 4 months’ notice before you can apply to the court for a possession order to evict your tenant.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 24 — “(b)in paragraph (b), for “two” substitute “three”;” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 24 — “(a)in paragraph (a), for “eight” substitute “thirteen”;” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 explanatory notes — “The Act increases the notice period for the rent arrears grounds to four weeks.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 24 — “When calculating how much rent is unpaid for the purpose of this ground, if the tenant is entitled to receive an amount for housing as part of an award of universal credit under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, any amount that was unpaid only because the tenant had not yet received the payment of that award is to be ignored.” Source
• NRLA, section 8 rent arrears grounds — “There are three possession grounds for rent arrears (Grounds 8,10 and 11), and you should use all of them together to have the best chance of success.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 10 — “(a) the dwelling-house is in an HMO or is an HMO,” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 10 — “But, in a case where two or more persons are or would be the tenant, the tenant does not meet the student test unless all of those persons meet that test.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 10 — “(e) the relevant date falls within the period beginning with 1 June and ending with 30 September in any year, and” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 10 — “(f) the landlord seeking possession intends, on the next occasion on which the dwelling-house is let, to let it to a tenant who meets the student test when that new tenancy is entered into.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 6 — “(b)additionally as if, in the first paragraph of ground 4A, paragraphs (a) and (e) were omitted.” Source
• GOV.UK, written information that must be given to tenants: landlord guidance — “You can provide the notice in any form of writing, including in a tenancy agreement.” Source
• GOV.UK, written information that must be given to tenants: landlord guidance — “For ground 4A (student tenancies) you will not be able to use the ground at all.” Source
• GOV.UK, assured tenancy forms — “This form is also known as a Section 8 notice.” Source
• GOV.UK, assured tenancy forms — “Use this form if you are a landlord of a privately rented property and want to propose a new rent.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “You can use this ground if your HMO is let to full-time students and is needed for a new group of students in line with the academic year between 1 June and 30 September.” Source
• Forsters, student lettings under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — “The current market norm is to secure tenants in November/December for the following academic year.” Source
• Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2 Ground 2 — “(b)the mortgagee requires possession of the dwelling-house for the purpose of disposing of it with vacant possession in exercise of that power;” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 — “(a)in the words before paragraph (a) omit “granted before the beginning of the tenancy”;” Source
• Shelter Legal, when a landlord is repossessed — “The lender does not need to take the tenants to court separately to evict them.” Source
• Mortgage Repossessions (Protection of Tenants etc) Act 2010 s.1 — “When making an order for delivery of possession of the property, the court may, on the application of the tenant, postpone the date for delivery of possession for a period not exceeding two months.” Source
• Housing (Scotland) Act 2016 Schedule 3 paragraph 2 — “It is an eviction ground that a lender intends to sell the let property.” Source
• Shelter Legal, assured tenancy mandatory grounds — “The landlord does not have to provide alternative housing for the tenant.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 — “(c) the additional RSL condition, but only in a case where the landlord seeking possession is—” Source
• NRLA, Ground 6 and retrofit — “In practice, Ground 6 will only apply in a limited number of situations.” Source
• Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 s.210 — “(b)it is satisfied that suitable alternative accommodation is available to the contract-holder (or will be available to the contract-holder when the order takes effect).” Source
• Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2 Ground 6A — “(a) the landlord seeking possession (the “current landlord”) is a relevant social landlord;” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “This ground applies to relevant social landlords only.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 22 — “(g) compliance with a planning enforcement notice or injunction would be, or is, incompatible with continued occupation of the dwelling-house by the tenant.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Schedule 1 paragraph 22 — “(ii) specifies overcrowding as the deficiency giving rise to the hazard in respect of which that remedial action is to be taken;” Source
• Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2 Ground 5B — “(a) is a private registered provider of social housing,” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “You can use this ground if you usually use the property to let to a tenant based on their employment, for example, key workers.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “If your tenant was employed by you and your property was rented out as part of their employment, you can use this ground if your tenant is no longer your employee.” Source
• GOV.UK, repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 — “The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changes will only apply to PRPs from 2027.” Source
• Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2 Ground 12 — “Any obligation of the tenancy (other than one related to the payment of rent) has been broken or not performed.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “If you seek possession through the courts on a discretionary ground, it will be up to the court to decide whether it reasonable to evict your tenant.” Source
• GOV.UK, grounds for possession guidance for landlords and letting agents — “You must give 2 weeks’ notice before you can apply to the court for a possession order to evict your tenant.” Source
• GOV.UK, repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026 — “the Possession Claim Online Service (PCOL) if you are evicting your tenant only for owing you rent.” Source