If you’re a tenant or landlord in England who’s heard of “Section 21 notices” and “no-fault evictions,” it’s worth knowing that the law changed significantly this year. Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 has been abolished entirely under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — landlords can no longer end a tenancy without giving a reason.
What Section 21 used to allow
Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 let a landlord end an assured shorthold tenancy without stating any reason at all, provided they gave the correct notice period and the tenancy met certain procedural conditions (deposit protection, gas safety certificates and similar paperwork being up to date). This became widely known as “no-fault eviction,” because the tenant could be asked to leave even if they’d never missed rent or breached the tenancy — the landlord simply didn’t have to justify the decision to a court.
What changed on 1 May 2026
GOV.UK’s guidance for landlords is direct on the current position: since 1 May 2026, landlords can no longer apply to the court for a possession order using a Section 21 notice. Any Section 21 notice served before that date had to reach court by 31 July 2026 or it stopped being usable altogether. For any tenancy ending now, the only lawful route to possession in England is a Section 8 notice under the Housing Act 1988, using one of the specific statutory grounds for possession set out in the Act, as reformed by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
What a Section 8 notice actually requires
A Section 8 notice has always required the landlord to specify a ground for possession and to set out, in the notice itself, the substance of that ground and why the landlord believes it applies. GOV.UK’s current guidance for notices served on or after 1 May 2026 confirms the main categories of ground still include: rent arrears, damage to the property, antisocial behaviour or nuisance to neighbours, breach of the tenancy agreement’s terms, the landlord needing to move back into the property, the landlord wanting to sell the property, and the mortgage lender repossessing the property. Grounds are split between mandatory grounds, where a court must grant possession if the landlord proves the ground, and discretionary grounds, where the court weighs the evidence and can refuse possession even if the ground is technically made out.
Notice periods have generally got longer
One consistent theme of the reform is longer notice periods for tenants. For most grounds that previously carried a two-month notice period, tenants must now be given at least four months’ notice before proceedings can follow. There are exceptions built around fairness in both directions: serious rent arrears and antisocial behaviour grounds can still carry much shorter notice periods, reflecting that those situations involve the tenant’s own conduct, while grounds based on the landlord’s own plans — selling the property or moving in themselves — cannot even be used until the tenancy has run for at least 12 months, specifically to stop these grounds being used as a disguised way to avoid genuine security of tenure early in a tenancy.
Why this only applies in England
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 reforms the Housing Act 1988, which governs assured and assured shorthold tenancies in England. Wales already moved to a different tenancy system under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which uses “occupation contracts” rather than assured shorthold tenancies and has its own separate notice rules and timescales for “no-fault” style possession by a landlord. Anyone renting in Wales should check Welsh Government guidance specifically, rather than assuming the England-only Renters’ Rights Act changes apply to their tenancy.
What this means in practice
- A landlord in England can no longer end a tenancy simply because it suits them, without stating and being able to justify a specific ground to a court.
- A tenant served with an eviction notice is entitled to be told exactly which ground is being relied on, and the reasoning behind it — a vague or unexplained notice is not valid under the current rules.
- Discretionary grounds mean even a technically valid notice doesn’t guarantee possession — a court can still consider the tenant’s circumstances and refuse the order.
- Notice periods differ significantly by ground, so the same tenancy could face a very short notice period for serious arrears or nuisance, or a much longer one where the landlord wants to sell or move in.
FAQs
Can a landlord still evict a tenant with no reason at all in England?
No. Since 1 May 2026, every notice of possession must state a specific ground under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, and the landlord has to justify why that ground applies. The “no reason needed” Section 21 route no longer exists for tenancies in England.
What happens to a Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026?
It could only be used if the landlord applied to court by 31 July 2026. Any Section 21 notice not acted on by that deadline is no longer valid, and the landlord would now need to serve a fresh Section 8 notice with a stated ground instead.
Does this change apply to tenancies in Wales too?
No — the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 amends the Housing Act 1988, which applies in England. Wales operates under its own separate system, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with different rules on ending a tenancy.