Annex B provides a full list of Section 8 notice period requirements in Wales since March 2020. If your landlord served or serves you notice on or after 24 July 2020 until at least 24 March 2022, the notice period must be at least 6 months, other than for grounds relating to anti-social behaviour which remained at 3 months until 28 September but have subsequently returned to their pre-Coronavirus Act 2020 lengths of 1 month or less, depending on the type of tenancy and ground used. If your landlord served you notice between 26 March 2020 and 23 July 2020, they had to provide 3 months’ notice. You can also find more information in our Technical guidance on eviction notices. From 1 June 2021 until 30 September 2021, a notice period of 4 months was required in most cases, with exemptions for certain serious cases including anti-social behaviour, rent arrears, no right to rent and fraud.įor more detailed information about notice periods changes, including the exemptions, please see Section 8 notices and Section 21 notices and Annex A provides a full list of Section 8 notice period requirements since March 2020.From 29 August 2020 to, a notice period of 6 months was required in most cases, with exemptions for certain serious cases, including anti-social behaviour, extreme rent arrears, no right to rent and fraud.From 26 March 2020 to 28 August 2020, a notice period of 3 months was required in all cases.However, if you served a notice between 26 March 2020 and 30 September 2021, the notice period needed to be different: The notice will specify a date by which you are being asked to leave your home and after which possession proceedings may be started in the county court.ĭue to coronavirus (COVID-19), there have been alterations to the length of notice period required when serving Section 8 and Section 21 notices in England and Wales since 26 March 2020.įrom 1 October 2021, all notice periods returned to their pre-pandemic lengths. Your landlord will give you a notice requiring possession (under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988), or a notice seeking possession (under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988). Stage 1: Notice requiring/seeking possession You should engage with this process to avoid formal possession proceedings in the courts. Your landlord may suggest using a third-party dispute resolution or mediation service. More information can be found at Part 5 of this guidance ‘If you are worried about rent arrears’. You and your landlord should try to resolve these matters outside of court. If there is a change in your circumstances which will make it difficult for you to keep to the terms of your tenancy (such as your ability to pay rent) you should let your landlord know as soon as possible.
It is important that you access legal and money advice and support tailored to your individual circumstances as early as possible.įor general advice about renting a property under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, please consult our How to rent guide (England only). However, this guidance is intended as information rather than legal advice. This guide will help you to understand your rights, and the options which are available to you.
īeing served with a notice seeking or requiring possession can be a worrying or stressful experience. If you are an owner occupier and are worried about you mortgage lender repossessing your home, separate guidance is available at. Separate guidance is available for social tenants. The guide does not cover lodgers (people who live with their landlord) or people with licences (such as many property guardians – see specific guidance), or tenants living in a property which is not their main or only home. Most of this guidance will equally apply if you are in a shared property but in certain cases your rights and responsibilities will vary.
This guidance also provides useful advice for tenants who are in rent arrears or who otherwise feel that they may be at risk of being served with notice by their landlord. See the overview of the possession process below. This starts the possession action process, through which you may legally be evicted from your home. This guide is designed to assist tenants whose landlord or letting agent has served them with a notice requiring possession (Form 6A for the section 21 possession process in England) or a notice seeking possession (Form 3 for the section 8 possession process). This guide is for tenants who are renting a house or flat from a private landlord on an Assured or Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England or Wales.
Find out what you must do to help prevent the spread. The government has announced that England will move to Plan B in response to the risks of the Omicron variant.