Section 21 Is Gone: What Every Landlord in London and the East Midlands Must Do Right Now
- I Erebor
- Apr 17
- 5 min read
37 Section 8 grounds. 0 fast-track routes. 4–8 months per eviction case minimum. This is the legal landscape every UK landlord is now operating in.
On 1 May 2026, Section 21 was abolished. The notice that let landlords end a tenancy without giving a reason is gone — permanently. But here is what many landlords have not yet absorbed: it is not just Section 21 that changed. The accelerated possession procedure — the fast-track court route that made Section 21 quick to enforce — has also been removed. Every single possession claim in England now requires a full court hearing. If you are still renting to individual tenants, your exposure is fundamentally different to what it was six months ago.
This article covers what you are actually working with now: the real Section 8 toolkit, what eviction timelines look like in practice, the compliance mistakes that will block your possession claims before they start, and what landlords in London and the East Midlands are doing about it.
What Actually Changed on 1 May 2026
Every private assured shorthold tenancy (AST) in England has automatically converted to a periodic rolling tenancy. Fixed-term agreements no longer exist in law. Tenants can stay indefinitely — until they give two months' notice to leave, or until a landlord successfully regains possession through the courts on a valid Section 8 ground.
The Section 8 grounds for possession have been significantly expanded and revised. There are now 37 grounds (up from 17), but several of the most commonly relied-upon routes now carry tighter restrictions and longer notice periods than before.
The accelerated possession procedure — the paperwork-only, no-hearing fast track that made Section 21 practical to enforce — no longer exists. Every possession case now goes to a hearing. That changes the cost and timeline of every dispute.
Your Section 8 Toolkit: What You Can Actually Use Now
Section 8 is now your only route to possession. Here are the grounds that matter most for most landlords — and the catches attached to each:
Ground 1 — You or a family member needs to move in. Mandatory ground. 4 months' notice required. Cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Once you use it, you cannot re-let or market the property for at least 12 months after regaining possession.
Ground 1A — You intend to sell the property. Mandatory ground. 4 months' notice required. Tenancy must have existed for at least 12 months before you can serve. Again — no re-letting for 12 months after possession. This is designed to prevent landlords cycling through tenants for convenience.
Ground 8 — Serious rent arrears. Threshold raised to three months' unpaid rent (was two). Mandatory ground — the court must grant possession if arrears are proven. Critically, any arrears caused by unpaid Universal Credit housing cost elements are now disregarded for this ground, meaning landlords with UC tenants may find it harder to meet the threshold in practice.
Grounds 7A and 14 — Antisocial behaviour. The only grounds usable within the 12-month protected period. Evidence requirements are strict: police reports, CCTV, witness statements, council records.
The deposit rule that blocks everything. A court will not grant possession on any ground — except Grounds 7A and 14 — unless the deposit was properly protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, and the prescribed information was correctly served at the time. Unprotected deposits do not just expose you to a fine — they block your possession claim at the door.
What Eviction Actually Looks Like Now
Before May 2026, a straightforward Section 21 via the accelerated procedure could be resolved in 8–12 weeks with no court hearing. That route no longer exists. Here is the realistic step-by-step timeline for a standard Section 8 claim:
Step 1 — Serve the Section 8 notice. Notice periods range from 2 weeks (Ground 8 arrears) to 4 months (Grounds 1 and 1A). Any error in the prescribed form restarts the clock.
Step 2 — File the possession claim at court. Government data shows the median time from claim to possession order is currently 7.3 weeks — but that assumes a straightforward case. All cases now require a hearing, removing any fast-track option.
Step 3 — Attend the hearing and obtain the possession order. If contested or if your paperwork has any technical deficiency, the hearing can be adjourned. Each adjournment adds weeks.
Step 4 — Bailiff enforcement if the tenant does not leave. County Court bailiff appointments add a further 6–12 weeks in busy areas.
Realistic total from notice to vacant possession: 4 to 8 months for a non-contested claim. A contested or technically flawed case can run to 12 months or longer. Legal costs for a contested Section 8 claim can exceed £10,000.
The Compliance Checks That Cannot Be Missed
Beyond the deposit issue, courts require landlords to have served the correct documentation at the start of the tenancy. Missing any of the following can block or delay your claim:
Gas Safety Certificate — renewed annually, copy served on the tenant before they move in and within 28 days of each renewal.
EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) — required every 5 years, copy provided to tenants within 28 days of inspection.
EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) — minimum band E for existing tenancies. Must be provided at the outset.
How to Rent Guide — the current version must have been given to the tenant at the start of the tenancy. If a new version was published after your tenancy started and you did not re-serve it, this can be used against your claim.
An unprotected deposit does not just expose you to a penalty of up to 3x the deposit value. It means the court will not hear your possession claim on most grounds at all.
What London and East Midlands Landlords Are Doing About It
The combination of no accelerated procedure, longer notice periods, mandatory hearings, and strict compliance prerequisites means that individual tenancy management is materially more expensive and risky than it was before May 2026. A single void period covering a contested possession case could cost a landlord £8,000–£15,000 in lost rent and legal fees before the property is vacant again.
Landlords in Barking, Ilford, Romford, and Croydon — and across Nottingham's NG postcodes — are increasingly moving to company let arrangements as a direct response. Under a managed company let with AVS Consultation, a vetted operator takes a fixed lease on your property. There are no individual tenants, no AST obligations, no Section 8 grounds to navigate, and no court proceedings. Rent is guaranteed and paid monthly under the terms of the lease — not dependent on the tenant paying, a court ruling in your favour, or enforcement completing.
The operators AVS places are vetted organisations — supported accommodation providers, care companies, contractor housing schemes, and employer let programmes. They need stable, well-managed properties in London, Nottingham, Essex, and Kent. The arrangement benefits both sides: operators get the housing they need, landlords get guaranteed income without the individual tenancy risk that the Renters' Rights Act has significantly amplified.
Ready to find out what your property could earn — or what placement needs we can meet? Book a free 15-minute consultation at www.avsconsultation.com/book-online.
