Get support to Evict Tenants Under Section 21 or Section 8

If your landlord needs to evict a tenant, the legal processes can seem confusing – all the jargon, rules, notices, different courts and different applications – but don’t despair. This area is one where we excel. We handle these issues on behalf of landlords every day. Our simple, fixed-fee services will keep your landlords on the right side of the law and get back what’s rightfully theirs.

Here’s an explanation of the first step. We’ve kept it simple.

What is a Section 21 Eviction Notice?

Section 21 Notices or Section 8 Notices can be used to evict residential tenants.

Available in England, a Section 21 or Section 8 Notice is a legal notice to evict a tenant you can serve as a landlord to end their assured shorthold tenancy (AST). You’ll typically need to use this type of eviction notice if the term of the tenancy has come to an end, your tenants won’t leave, and you’re now seeking possession.

Also known as a ‘no-fault eviction’, the Section 21 or Section 8 Notice is the first of three steps you can take to regain the possession of your property. You can serve this notice without having to give a specific reason as to why you want to carry on with this eviction, providing you meet the conditions of its use.

This step is when a notice is served on the tenant saying that the landlord is seeking possession of the property. There are two types of notice currently:

  1. A Section 8 Notice due to rent arrears, nuisance, breach of tenancy or other relevant grounds.
  2. A Section 21 Notice to end the tenancy agreement – this is often called a no-fault

For commercial tenancies, the approach is slightly different.

We use a special form of notice to quit (£250.80). We also handle situations where lodgers are involved and where the tenant has abandoned a property..

If the tenant does not vacate the property as required by the Step 1 notice, an application can be made to the court for possession

Beware of Invalidating Your Notice

A Tip on Serving Your Notice

Be aware that it’s vital to fill out your notice form correctly before sending it to your tenants; getting even the smallest detail incorrect could invalidate it.

For a more seamless process, consider using the service of a legal professional.


Need support to draft and serve your Section 21 or Section 8 legal notice? From £250.80, we can help you regain possession of your property by serving your notice in a safe, legal, and compliant way.

How Do You Serve Your Notice Correctly?

‘Serving’ your Section 21 Notice or Section 8 Notice means handing it to your tenants, and there are several different ways you can do this. Please note that not all of these methods of serving your notice are available for every AST, so contact us for support on serving your notice in a legally compliant way.

  1. Through Your Legal Expert: You can hire a legal expert like Legal For Landlords to help you draft and serve your Section 21 or Section 8 Notice to your tenants. This is typically a great way of ensuring your form is filled out correctly and delivered within the rule of law to reduce the risk of legal challenges.
  2. By Email: If you choose to send your notice by email, it will be considered served on that day so long as you send it before 16:30. If you send it after this point in time, it will legally be considered to have been sent the next working day. Before you send tenants their notice in this way, double-check that they have consented to receive the notice via email (you can usually find this in the Tenancy Agreement).
  3. In-person: You might choose to physically go to the address to serve notice to your tenants and hand it to them in a sealed envelope. Once again, you must do this before 16:30 for it to be considered delivered that day. You must also keep evidence of this action by taking a timestamped photo of the notice and of you delivering it to your tenant.
  4. By Leaving it At Your Tenant Address: Similarly to in-person, you can post the notice through your tenant’s letterbox. To do this, you must deliver it by 16:30 and keep timestamped photographic evidence of the notice and the delivery.
  5. By Recorded Delivery: You can use a recorded courier delivery service to send your notice. For your protection, at Legal for Landlords, we send a copy of every notice we serve by First Class Mail and Recorded Delivery.

What Happens After You’ve Served Your Notice?

Typically, simply serving your notice is enough to get your tenants to leave your property without needing to take any further action.

However, in the rare instance where they don’t move on, you may need to move on to Step 2: applying to the court for repossession action.

You can see the full list of steps below:

Step 1 (This): Serving Notice

The notice you serve to kickstart your property repossession.

Step 2: Applying to the Court for Repossession

The application you make for a decision on the papers or court hearing, with a full explanation as to why they should grant you the repossession of your property.
See more.

Step 3: Instructing a Bailiff

The legal action of regaining possession of your property.
See more.

Why Choose us to Serve your Section 21 or 8 Notice?

1. Trusted Legal Advice:

Our 4.9 rating on Trustpilot demonstrates our reliable experience in handling tenant evictions.

This experience means you can be sure that the Section 21 or Section 8 Notice is served following the correct legal requirements and procedures, so you’ll be much less likely to experience delays or legal challenges.

2. Fixed-Fee Services:

With our fixed-fee pricing for serving your notice, you’ll know precisely how much things will cost and receive no hidden surcharges.

3. Oversight of the Entire Process:

Beyond serving your Eviction Notices, we can support you through the entire process: court applications for possession orders and bailiff action.

If necessary, we can also help you with debt and rent recovery.

Enquire now

How to Serve a Section 21 Notice FAQs

What Is A Section 21 No-Fault Eviction Notice?

A Section 21 Notice or Section 8 Notice allows landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason – this is a 2-month notice period. Also known as form 6a. This can be served during a periodic tenancy or to expire in line with a fixed term.

What Can Make a Section 21 Notice Invalid?

As a landlord, you can serve an invalid Section 21 Notice or Section 8 Notice if you:

  • Don’t serve the notice in the correct and permissible ways
  • Didn’t follow the rules around the tenancy deposit
  • Didn’t provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or Gas Safety Certificate
  • Didn’t provide the ‘How to Rent’ guide to your tenants
  • Don’t have a licence for the property you’re letting
  • Took a prohibited fee or retained a holding deposit
  • Serve the notice after a complaint had been received about the property

How And When Will The Government Abolish Section 21 No-Fault Evictions?

We do not know the exact date; however, it is our understanding that this will be next spring/summer.

When Is The Earliest Government Could Make Section 21 Abolished?

Until the law is passed and we have an implementation date, which we believe will be announced next spring/summer, we don’t have any further info.

Are There Changes To The Section 8 Grounds For Possession?

Since the Labour government has taken over, they have announced some potential changes. We will stay abreast of these possible changes and update the information as needed.

Can Landlords Still Serve A Valid Section 21 Notice Now?

Yes, landlords can currently serve Section 21 and Section 8 notices.

What Are The Transition Provisions For Pending Section 21 Notices?

As far as we are aware, section 21 can be relied upon until the changes are formally made.

What Are The Likely Short-Term Consequences of Making the Section 21 Notice Abolished?

Landlords may struggle to evict – this is dependent on the new Section 8 grounds that will be put in place.

Likely long-term consequences of abolishing Section 21 as above.

Need support to draft and serve your Section 21 or Section 8 Legal Notice?

From £250.80, we can help you regain possession of your property by delivering your notice in a safe, legal, and compliant way.

Contact Us

Consultation Case review Book online (Agents)
Consultation Case review Book online (Agents)
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Step 1 - Legal Notices
Step 1 - Legal Notices (Agent)
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Step 2 - Possession order
Step 2 - Possession order
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Step 3 - Bailiffs
Step 3 - Bailiffs
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Debt and Rent recovery for agents
Debt and Rent recovery for agents
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Pre court letter for agents
Pre court letter for agents
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