How section 21 notices will be abolished by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, when the last notices can be served and the deadline for landlords to start possession proceedings.
Published February 2026.
The end of section 21 notices
The Renters’ Rights Act introduces major reforms to the private rented sector from May 2026. While there are a lot of changes incoming, the headline is the abolition of section 21 notices.
A landlord can use a valid section 21 notice to end an assured shorthold tenancy without needing the prove any fault of the tenant.
Both section 21 notices and assured shorthold tenancies in the private rented sector will be abolished from 1 May 2026.
How section 21 evictions will end
A landlord cannot serve a section 21 notice on an assured tenant. Most private tenancies in the private rented sector will become assured tenancies automatically on 1 May 2026, so the last date a landlord can serve a section 21 notice for these tenancies is 30 April 2026.
Section 21 possession claims won’t end immediately though, as where the landlord has served a valid notice before 1 May, the landlord can still complete possession proceedings under that notice.
Section 21 in the social rented sector
Section 21 notices are not being abolished in the social rented sector until 2027. The exact date is still to be confirmed.
This means that where the landlord is a registered provider of social housing, it can still serve a section 21 notice on an assured shorthold tenant after May 2026.
Checking a section 21 notice is valid
The usual validity requirements apply to all section 21 notices served until 1 May 2026, including that the landlord must have:
used the correct form
protected the deposit
served the right documents on the tenant, such as an EPC and gas safety certificate
Find out more about what makes a section 21 notice invalid on Shelter Legal.
Why it still matters
Many people will be looking forward to never needing to check whether a section 21 is valid again, but in the short term it might be more important than ever.
Often defending a section 21 possession claim has meant merely buying the tenant more time until the landlord can serve another valid notice. But after 1 May 2026, if a section 21 notice is invalid the landlord cannot simply serve another one.
If a section 21 notice is found to be invalid after 1 May 2026:
the landlord cannot obtain a possession order using section 21
the assured shorthold tenant becomes an assured tenant
the landlord must use a section 8 notice with grounds if they still want to end the tenancy
On 1 May 2026, most private tenancies will automatically become assured tenancies.
A private tenancy will only remain an assured shorthold tenancy if the landlord has served a valid section 21 or section 8 notice before the law changes. Any new private tenancy from 1 May 2026 will automatically be an assured tenancy.
Deadline for landlords to start possession claims
A private landlord normally has six months to start possession proceedings after serving a section 21 notice.
The Renters’ Rights Act sets out that for section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026, a landlord must start possession proceedings by whichever date is earliest between:
six months from the date the notice is served
three months from commencement of the Renters' Rights Act
In practice this means that from 1 February 2026 onwards, landlords will start to have less than six months to begin possession proceedings. This is because after this point the earliest of the two dates will automatically be three months from commencement.
Table: Section 21 time limits
| Notice served | Time limit to start proceedings |
|---|---|
| Before 1 February 2026 | Six months from the service of the notice |
| Between 1 February 2026 and 30 April 2026 | 31 July 2026 at the latest |
Example: six months to start proceedings
If a section 21 notice is served on 18 January 2026, the landlord must start possession proceedings by 17 July 2026. The landlord still has a full six months to start possession proceedings.
Example: under six months to start proceedings
If a section 21 notice served on 5 April 2026, the landlord must start possession proceedings by 31 July 2026 at the latest. The landlord has less than six months to begin proceedings.
What the landlord must do before the deadline
The Renters’ Rights Act says the landlord must have 'requested the court to issue the claim form for... proceedings'. A landlord might be able to prove this by showing that the claim form has been lodged with the court (even if it has not actually been issued) or showing electronic confirmation that the claim has been issued via Possession Claims Online.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is developing a new online claims process to deal with all possession claims but it has not yet been confirmed when this will go live.
If the landlord does not start possession proceedings in time
If the landlord does not start possession proceedings by the deadline, the landlord can no longer use a section 21 notice. The tenant becomes a periodic assured tenant and will gain new rights in line with the Renters' Rights Act, such as the right to request a pet.
A landlord of an assured tenant can only end the tenancy on grounds. The landlord must serve a valid section 8 notice stating the grounds and must apply for a possession order and warrant to end the tenancy. Possession grounds include grounds for rent arrears, antisocial behaviour and when the landlord wants to sell the property or move in.
Section 21 possession claims after 1 May 2026
Where a landlord serves a valid section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 and starts proceedings before the deadline, the landlord can continue with the possession claim.
Section 21 claims after 1 May 2026 will be decided on whether the notice is valid, in the same way as any other section 21 notice.
A landlord can use either the standard or accelerated possession procedure to make their claim. The accelerated possession procedure can be used obtain a possession order without a hearing if there is no dispute over the facts of the case. There will be a hearing if the tenant files a defence or if the landlord uses the standard possession procedure.
The tenancy remains an assured shorthold tenancy until possession proceedings are concluded or the tenancy is ended in another way, such as the tenant serving notice. Possession proceedings can be concluded if the landlord obtains a possession order, the landlord withdraws the claim or the claim is dismissed by the court.
How long section 21 possession claims will continue
Even after the final notices are served, we won't see the end of section 21 for a while yet, as landlords can complete claims on valid notices served before May.
There may be an increase in court backlogs in the short term as landlords aim to start proceedings before the deadline, meaning claims could take longer to be finalised. The final section 21 claims will likely continue for many months beyond May, potentially well into 2027.