Section 8 Grounds — Cheat Sheet (post-RRA 2025)

A reference card listing the Section 8 grounds for possession in England as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with the statutory notice period and whether each ground is mandatory or discretionary.

*Every possession ground, notice period and source — England only*

Last reviewed: 2026-09-28. Next review: 2026-12-28.

Important

Section 21 has been abolished by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. All assured tenancies are now periodic. Possession in England runs through Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 only.

Notice periods and ground numbers below reflect the position as published on legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK at the date this PDF was last reviewed. Always confirm against the live legislation before serving notice.

Mandatory grounds (court must order possession)

Discretionary grounds (court decides whether to order possession)

Pre-action requirements you must not skip

• For tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026, check you gave the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. For newer tenancies, check you gave the written statement of terms (Housing Act 1988 s.16D; SI 2026/324).
• If you took a deposit, the court can only make a possession order (except on Grounds 7A or 14) if it is protected in an approved scheme and the prescribed information has been given, unless the deposit has been returned or a deposit claim has been decided or settled (Housing Act 2004 s.215).
• Use Form 3A (Notice of Seeking Possession) — get the current version from GOV.UK before serving.
• For Grounds 1 and 1A, you must not let or market the property from the date the notice is served until 12 months after the date specified in the notice.

Sources: - legislation.gov.uk — Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2 (as amended) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/50/schedule/2 - legislation.gov.uk — Renters' Rights Act 2025 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/contents - GOV.UK — Section 8 / Section 21 possession notices — https://www.gov.uk/evicting-tenants