Section 21 and Section 8 Notice periods to revert to pre-Covid time periods from 1 October 2021
Good news for landlords – notice periods are set to revert to pre-Covid timescales very soon. The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Residential Tenancies and Notices) (Amendment and Suspension) (England) Regulations 2021 were made yesterday, coming into force on 1 October 2021.
Notice periods will revert to pre-Covid time periods from 1 October 2021. This means that the notice period for Section 21 notices will revert to 2 months and the notice period for Section 8 notices relying on Grounds 8, 10 and 11 will revert to 2 weeks. Section 21 notice cannot be served within the first four months of the initial tenancy or to expire prior to the end of the fixed term.
The Government is also publishing new Forms 3 (for Section 8) and 6A (for Section 21) and these will also come into force from 1 October 2021. As always, landlords/agents should be careful to use the correct form of notice that is in force at the date the notice is served. As they are prescribed forms, the court will generally not accept notices served on the wrong version of the form.
If you are considering Section 21 notice now, it will be quicker for you to wait until 1 October 2021 rather than serve notice during September as the notice period is currently 4 months. If you have any queries about the changes to notices, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
On 28 October 2025 the long awaited Renters Rights Act 2025 (‘the Act’) received Royal Assent meaning it is now law. This includes very significant changes for landlords and tenants including changes to tenancy agreements, tenant rights, deposits, notices and eviction processes amongst others. For the current position on this see our blog here. This legislation includes numerous changes designed to alter the relationship between landlords and tenants, aimed at giving tenants greater security of tenure and rights. For now landlords can continue to use the existing processes and should serve notices and issue claims promptly wherever possible to take advantage of the time period before the Act is fully implemented. When the Act is fully implemented it will no longer be possible to pursue possession claims via the accelerated possession route as this will no longer exist. Section 21 notices are being abolished. Existing court forms will be changing. Landlords should ensure you remain up to date on the legislation to avoid later difficulties. Contact our team if you need assistance and we will be happy to help.
