A section 8 notice is a legal eviction notice.

It must be valid. Valid means that your landlord must put the right information on the notice.

The right information is:

• the reasons why they are evicting you - these reasons are called the grounds for possession

• why the landlord can use the ground

• the earliest date your landlord could start court action

The notice might not be valid if they get something wrong.

Your landlord might have to give you a new notice if they still want you to leave.

What a section 8 notice looks like

Tenancy form 3 on GOV.UK is a section 8 notice.

Your landlord must use this form or give you a letter with the same information.

Check the grounds for possession

The grounds for possession are the the legal reasons why your landlord wants you to leave.

They are on paragraph 3 on the notice.

Rent arrears grounds

Grounds 8, 10 and 11 are the rent arrears grounds.

Other eviction grounds

Check your notice to see if any other grounds are on it.

Private landlords sometimes use these grounds:

• ground 12 - for breaking a term in your tenancy agreement

• ground 13 - for allowing the property condition to get worse

• ground 14 - for causing a nuisance to neighbours or the landlord, or some criminal convictions related to the property or the area

Check the date your landlord could go to court

The earliest date your landlord could start court action is on the notice at paragraph 5.

You must get at least 2 weeks' notice for:

• grounds 8, 10 and 11 - rent arrears

• grounds 12 and 13

The 2 weeks runs from the date you get the notice. Your landlord might hand deliver it or send it through the post and get proof of delivery.

With ground 14 your landlord could apply to court to get you evicted as soon as they give you the notice.

Your landlord might not start court action on the day in the notice. They have 1 year from when they give you the notice to apply for a court order.

After this, the section 8 notice is no longer valid and your landlord cannot use it.