Section 21 is abolished — what landlords do now
This is not a forthcoming change. Section 21 no-fault eviction ended on 1 May 2026, and the transitional route for notices served before then closed on 31 July 2026. Form 6A is withdrawn. Every possession claim in the private rented sector in England now needs a specific legal ground.
If you are reading older advice, check its date
A large amount of landlord guidance online still discusses Section 21 in the present tense, because it was written while the reform was pending. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and its first phase commenced 1 May 2026. Anything describing Section 21 as available, or the changes as “coming soon”, is out of date.
What actually changed on 1 May 2026
- Section 21 abolished. No more no-fault eviction in the private rented sector in England.
- Assured shorthold tenancies gone. All assured tenancies are now periodic — no fixed terms. The tenancy runs until the tenant ends it or you establish a ground.
- Form 6A withdrawn. Possession now runs on Form 3A (Section 8) for private rented property. Social landlords keep the older Forms 1–9 until 2027 at the earliest.
- Rent increases standardised. One route only — a Form 4ASection 13 notice, once a year, with two months' notice. Rent review clauses are no longer permitted.
The transitional deadline has passed
This one caught people out. Where a Section 21 notice had been served before 1 May 2026, there was a window to start court possession proceedings on it — but that window closed on 31 July 2026. If you were holding a valid Section 21 notice and hadn't issued a claim by then, it is now spent. Any possession claim has to be brought on a Section 8 ground.
Getting your property back now
The two grounds most landlords ask about are Ground 1 (you or a close family member moving in) and Ground 1A (selling). Both are mandatory, so the court must grant possession if the ground is made out. But they carry conditions Section 21 never had, and these are the ones worth planning around:
- Four months' notice, not two.
- Unavailable in the first 12 months of the tenancy. You cannot let a property in January and use Ground 1A in June.
- No marketing or re-letting for 12 months after using them. This is the anti-abuse provision: you cannot claim to be selling, recover the property, and quietly re-let it at a higher rent.
The full picture — every ground, which are mandatory and which discretionary, and the notice period each carries — is set out in our Section 8 grounds guide.
What this means in practice
The practical shift is that tenant selection now carries far more weight. Under Section 21 a poor letting decision could be unwound with two months' notice and no reason given. It can't any more: recovering possession means establishing a ground, on the correct form, with the correct notice period, and possibly proving it in court.
That makes the cheapest risk reduction available to you the check you run before the tenancy starts. A £9 credit check or £19 full reference is a trivial cost against a possession claim — and worth more now than it was in April.
Record-keeping matters more too. Grounds have to be evidenced: arrears schedules, correspondence, dates of notices. Whatever you use to run your tenancies, make sure it produces a timeline you could hand to a court.
FAQ
Is Section 21 actually abolished, or is it still coming?
It is already gone. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and its first phase came into force on 1 May 2026, abolishing Section 21 no-fault eviction in the private rented sector in England. A great deal of material online still describes this as forthcoming — it isn't. If you are reading advice that talks about Section 21 in the present tense, check its date.
I served a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 — can I still use it?
No, not any more. There was a transitional window: where a Section 21 notice had been served before 1 May 2026, court possession proceedings had to be started by 31 July 2026. That deadline has now passed, so the Section 21 route is closed entirely and any possession claim must be brought on a Section 8 ground instead.
What replaces Section 21?
Nothing replaces it like-for-like, and that is the point of the reform. Possession now requires a specific legal ground under Section 8, served on Form 3A. Some grounds are mandatory, meaning the court must grant possession if the ground is proved, and some are discretionary, meaning the court decides whether it is reasonable. Form 6A, the old Section 21 notice, is withdrawn.
Can I still get my property back if I want to sell or move in?
Yes — Ground 1 covers a landlord or close family member moving in, and Ground 1A covers selling. Both are mandatory grounds, but they carry conditions Section 21 never did: four months' notice, and they cannot be used at all during the first 12 months of the tenancy. There is also a restriction on marketing or re-letting the property for 12 months after using them, so they are not a route to a quick tenant swap.
Do assured shorthold tenancies still exist?
No. From 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in the private rented sector are periodic — there are no fixed terms and no ASTs. That is what makes Section 21 unnecessary from the reform's point of view: the tenancy simply continues until either the tenant ends it or the landlord establishes a ground.
What about social housing?
Social landlords continue to use the older Forms 1 to 9, and the reforms do not apply to those tenancies until 2027 at the earliest. If you are a private landlord, use the 'A' series — Form 3A for possession, Form 4A for a rent increase.
What else is still to come?
The Act is being implemented in phases. Phase 1 (tenancy reform, including the end of Section 21) landed on 1 May 2026. The Private Landlord Database follows from late 2026, with sign-up staggered by area across England. A later phase brings the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. Only phase 1 is in force today.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information for UK landlords, not legal or financial advice. Law and practice change — always confirm the current position, and take advice on anything that matters. Possession law is technical and the consequences of serving the wrong notice, or the right notice with the wrong notice period, are months of delay. Commencement dates and forms were verified against GOV.UK on 5 August 2026; take advice before serving notice.