Notice Periods for Tenants and Landlords

If you want to end your tenancy, the notice you must give depends on the type of tenancy you have:

• Periodic tenancy (rolling): You must give at least one month's notice in a monthly periodic tenancy. If you pay rent weekly, at least 4 weeks' notice is required. Your tenancy agreement may specify a longer notice period, which you are bound to follow.
• Fixed-term tenancy: You are generally bound to the tenancy until the fixed term ends. You cannot end it early unless: there is a break clause in the agreement, or you reach a surrender agreement with the landlord.

Your notice should be in writing, clearly state the date on which you intend to leave, and be served so it gives the full notice period required. For a monthly periodic tenancy, notice should expire on the last day of a rent period — so if your rent is due on the 1st, notice should expire on the last day of the month.

A Section 21 notice was a no-fault eviction notice under the Housing Act 1988. It allowed landlords to repossess a property at the end of a fixed term or during a periodic tenancy without needing to give a specific reason. Section 21 notices were abolished by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 with effect from 1 May 2026 — no new Section 21 notice can be served.

Prior to abolition, for a Section 21 notice to be valid, landlords must have:

• Protected your deposit in a government-approved scheme and provided prescribed information
• Provided the current How to Rent guide and a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• Provided a current gas safety certificate (if applicable)
• Not served the notice within 6 months of an environmental health complaint in some circumstances

The minimum notice period for a Section 21 notice is 2 months. If you believe a Section 21 notice you have received is invalid, seek urgent advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice.

A Section 8 notice is served where the landlord has specific legal grounds to evict, most commonly rent arrears. The notice must specify which grounds under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 apply. Notice periods vary by ground:

• Ground 8 (2+ months' rent arrears): 14 days' notice — a mandatory ground, meaning the court must grant possession if it is made out
• Ground 10 (some rent arrears): 14 days' notice — discretionary
• Ground 12 (breach of tenancy terms): 2 weeks' notice — discretionary
• Ground 14 (nuisance or antisocial behaviour): Immediate notice — discretionary
• Ground 1 (landlord wants to move in): 2 months' notice — discretionary

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the Section 8 notice grounds have been reformed and expanded to provide landlords with grounds to recover possession for legitimate reasons (such as selling the property or moving a family member in) now that no-fault eviction has been abolished.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 made fundamental changes to notice periods and eviction law in England, with the main provisions in force from 1 May 2026:

• Abolition of Section 21: No-fault evictions are removed. Landlords must have a specific legal ground to evict.
• Abolition of fixed-term tenancies: All tenancies are periodic from the start, with tenants able to leave with 2 months' notice at any time after the first 6 months.
• Reformed Section 8 grounds: New and strengthened grounds are introduced, including grounds for landlords who want to sell or occupy the property personally.
• Stronger anti-retaliatory eviction protections.

Check gov.uk for the latest commencement dates for the remaining provisions, as the Act's later changes (such as the landlord database) are being implemented in phases.