Section 21 Abolished 2026: What Landlords Need to Know

Section 21 no-fault evictions end on 1 May 2026. Here is what replaces them, how the transition works, and what every landlord must do to prepare.

<pFrom <strong1 May 2026</strong, Section 21 'no-fault' eviction notices are <strongabolished in England</strong. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 removes the ability for landlords to end a tenancy without giving a reason, marking the biggest change to English tenancy law since the Housing Act 1988.</p

<pThis guide explains exactly what is changing, how the transition works, and what you need to do as a landlord.</p

<h2What Is Section 21 and Why Is It Being Abolished?</h2

<pSection 21 of the Housing Act 1988 allowed landlords to regain possession of a property without proving any fault on the tenant's part. They simply had to serve a minimum two months' notice.</p

<pThe government abolished Section 21 because:</p

<ul <li<strongTenant insecurity</strong — tenants could be asked to leave at any time, making it difficult to put down roots or challenge poor conditions</li <li<strongRetaliatory evictions</strong — some landlords used Section 21 after tenants complained about disrepair</li <li<strongHousing instability</strong — no-fault evictions were a leading cause of homelessness in England</li </ul

<h2Key Dates and Timeline</h2

<table <thead<tr<thDate</th<thWhat Happens</th</tr</thead <tbody <tr<td<strong1 May 2026</strong</td<tdSection 21 abolished. All new and existing tenancies become periodic. No new Section 21 notices can be served.</td</tr <tr<td<strong31 July 2026</strong</td<tdTransition deadline — court proceedings for Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 must commence before the notice expires or by this date, whichever is earlier.</td</tr <tr<td<stronglate 2026 (subject to phased rollout)</strong</td<tdProperty Portal / PRS Database regional rollout begins. Awaab's Law extension to the private sector is a separate Phase 3 measure — date to be confirmed by government.</td</tr </tbody </table

<h2What Replaces Section 21?</h2

<pLandlords must now rely entirely on <strongSection 8</strong of the Housing Act 1988, which requires a specific legal ground for possession. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 has reformed and expanded the available grounds:</p

<h3Mandatory Grounds (court must grant possession)</h3

<ul <li<strongGround 1 — Landlord or close family member intends to occupy</strong — available after the first 12 months of occupation. Four months' notice required.</li <li<strongGround 1A — Landlord wishes to sell</strong — available after the first 12 months of occupation. Four months' notice. Requires a genuine intent to sell; deposit must be returned in line with the regulations.</li <li<strongGround 8 — Serious rent arrears</strong — the threshold has increased from <strong2 months to 3 months' arrears</strong. The arrears must exist both when the notice is served and at the court hearing.</li </ul

<h3Discretionary Grounds (court decides based on reasonableness)</h3

<ul <li<strongGround 10 — Some rent arrears</strong — arrears of at least one month at the date of the hearing</li <li<strongGround 12 — Breach of tenancy terms</strong</li <li<strongGround 14 — Antisocial behaviour or criminal activity</strong</li </ul

<h2New Prescribed Forms</h2

<pFrom 1 May 2026, landlords <strongmust use the new prescribed forms</strong when serving notices:</p

<ul <li<strongForm 3A</strong — the new Section 8 notice of seeking possession</li <li<strongForm 4A</strong — the new Section 13 rent increase notice</li </ul

<pUsing an old-format notice after commencement will render it <stronginvalid</strong, and the court will not grant possession.</p

<h2All Tenancies Become Periodic</h2

<pUnder the new law, <strongfixed-term assured shorthold tenancies cease to exist</strong. All tenancies — both new and existing — become periodic from day one. This means:</p

<ul <liTenants can leave with <strongtwo months' notice</strong at any time</li <liLandlords can only end a tenancy by proving a valid Section 8 ground</li <liThere are no 'break clauses' — the tenant's right to give notice replaces them</li </ul

<h2What Landlords Must Do Now</h2

<ol <li<strongReview your current notices</strong — if you have served a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 and intend to rely on it, you must commence court proceedings before the notice expires or by 31 July 2026, whichever is earlier.</li <li<strongUpdate your tenancy agreements</strong — remove references to fixed terms, break clauses, and Section 21.</li <li<strongPlan ahead for the PRS Database and Ombudsman</strong — the new Property Portal (Phase 2 of the GOV.UK Implementation Roadmap) is expected to begin a regional rollout from late 2026, and mandatory PRS Landlord Ombudsman membership is expected from 2028. Neither is live on 1 May 2026.</li <li<strongEnsure full compliance</strong — a court may refuse possession if the landlord has outstanding compliance failures.</li <li<strongUse the correct forms</strong — download or generate the new Form 3A and Form 4A. LetSentry can generate these automatically.</li </ol

<h2Can I Still Evict a Tenant?</h2

<pYes — but only for a valid reason. The most common grounds landlords will use are:</p

<table <thead<tr<thGround</th<thReason</th<thNotice Period</th</tr</thead <tbody <tr<tdGround 1</td<tdLandlord or close family member to move in</td<td4 months</td</tr <tr<tdGround 1A</td<tdLandlord wishes to sell</td<td4 months</td</tr <tr<tdGround 8</td<td3+ months' rent arrears</td<td4 weeks</td</tr <tr<tdGround 14</td<tdAntisocial behaviour</td<tdImmediate (in serious cases)</td</tr </tbody </table

<h2Related Guides</h2

<ul <li<a href="/section-21-guide"Section 21 Eviction Guide</a — full details on transition provisions</li <li<a href="/renters-rights-act-2026-guide"Renters' Rights Act 2025 Guide</a — complete overview of all reforms</li <li<a href="/deposit-protection-guide"Deposit Protection Guide</a — compliance that affects possession claims</li <li<a href="/landlord-checklist"Landlord Compliance Checklist 2026</a — ensure you meet every obligation</li </ul

<h2How LetSentry Helps</h2

<pLetSe

Sources: - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3764 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-renters-rights-bill - https://www.gov.uk/evicting-tenants - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/32/contents - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/421/made - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renters-rights-act-2025-implementation-roadmap/implementing-the-renters-rights-act-2025-our-roadmap-for-reforming-the-private-rented-sector - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/assured-tenancy-forms - https://www.gov.uk/evicting-tenants/section-21-and-section-8-notices

Published: 2026-04-08.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-30.

General summary; not legal advice.