Your landlord can still evict you, but since 1 May 2026 they can only do it for a specific legal reason, and they have to go to court to enforce it. The old Section 21 “no-fault” notice — two months’ notice, no reason required — was abolished by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Any Section 21 notice served on you now is invalid. Your landlord has to use a Section 8 notice, state which legal ground they are relying on, give you the notice period that ground requires, and then prove it to a judge if you do not leave.
That is a real change in your favour. It is not a guarantee you cannot be asked to leave.
The reasons a landlord can use
There are around 20 grounds, but a handful account for almost every real case.
The landlord wants to move in (Ground 1) or sell (Ground 1A). These are the closest thing to the old no-fault route, and they are the most common. Your landlord must give you four months’ notice, and they cannot use either ground in the first 12 months of your tenancy. If they recover the property this way, they cannot re-let it for 12 months — so a landlord who says they are selling and then puts it back on the rental market is committing an offence.
Rent arrears. The notice period is four weeks. The mandatory ground requires a set level of arrears to be outstanding both when the notice is served and at the hearing — so if you clear the arrears below that threshold before the hearing, the mandatory ground falls away. If you are behind, what happens in the first two weeks matters more than almost anything else.
Serious anti-social behaviour, or breach of tenancy. These are discretionary — the judge decides whether it is reasonable to make you leave, even if the facts are proved.
Student HMOs (Ground 4A). If you rent a shared student house, your landlord can recover it for the next academic year, but only with possession falling between 1 June and 30 September. The detail is here.
What your landlord cannot do
They cannot evict you for challenging a rent increase. If you refer an increase to the First-tier Tribunal, that cannot be used against you, and the tribunal can only confirm or reduce the proposed rent — never raise it.
They cannot evict you by text, by letter, or by changing the locks. Ending a tenancy by notice to quit, orally, or by any route outside the prescribed process is a breach carrying a civil penalty. Unlawful eviction and harassment sit in the most serious tier, with penalties up to £40,000 or prosecution.
They cannot rely on a ground they do not honestly believe applies. Serving notice claiming they intend to sell, with no intention of selling, is an offence in its own right.
They cannot use a fixed term against you. Fixed terms no longer exist in the private sector. Every tenancy is periodic.
How long the process actually takes
Notice, then a court claim, then a hearing, then a possession order, then bailiffs if you still have not left. Serving notice does not end your tenancy and does not oblige you to leave on the expiry date. National figures put the average from claim issued to possession order at roughly 34 weeks, and that is before enforcement. Court fees rose on 13 July 2026, which is your landlord’s problem rather than yours, but it does mean claims are being brought more deliberately.
You do not have to leave when the notice expires. You are entitled to stay until a court orders otherwise — though staying on can affect who pays costs, so it is worth taking advice rather than simply digging in.
If you want to leave
You give two months’ notice, at any time, without needing a reason. You do not have to wait for a fixed term to end, because there is no fixed term. Your agreement may allow shorter notice, and your landlord can agree to less in writing, but two months is the default. More on tenant notice periods here.
Where to get help
If you have been served notice, check three things before anything else: is it a Section 8 notice rather than a Section 21; does it state a ground; and does the notice period match that ground. A notice that fails any of those is likely defective, and a defective notice cannot found a possession claim.
Shelter and Citizens Advice both give free specialist housing advice, and your local council’s housing team has a duty to help if you are threatened with homelessness. If your landlord uses a letting agent, the agent has obligations too — including responding to you in reasonable time.
The wider picture of what changed on 1 May, on both sides, is in our summary of the Renters’ Rights Act.
General information, not legal advice. Property Lounge, Guildford.
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