Lesson 7
Landlord Notices and Possession
Follow a landlord’s notice from the doormat to court and enforcement, and know what to do the day it arrives.
A notice is on the mat
A letter headed ‘Notice seeking possession’ is on the mat. It has a date on it. That date isn’t the day you have to be out.
For private assured tenancies in England, new Section 21 notices ended on 1 May 2026, so a landlord seeking possession now needs a legal ground and the court process. Older notices had a deadline: as checked on 18 October 2026, a landlord could apply to court on a notice served before 1 May only until 31 July 2026, though claims started by then carry on to their end. Social housing and other arrangements work differently, so if you hold an older notice, take it and your tenancy dates to an adviser.
This lesson is about your landlord ending the tenancy. If you want to leave, Giving Notice to Leave covers your own notice, which works quite differently.