Section 21 Transitional Window Closes 31 July 2026 — What Landlords Must Do Now

By RentVault Team · Published 2026-07-07 · 4 min read

If you served a Section 21 notice on a tenant before 1 May 2026, you are in the final weeks of a closing legal window.

If you served a Section 21 notice on a tenant before 1 May 2026, you are in the final weeks of a closing legal window. After 31 July 2026, any Section 21 notice that has not been actioned at court becomes invalid — regardless of how much time would otherwise have remained on it.

This article explains exactly what the transitional window is, who it affects, and what you need to do before it closes.

What the transitional window is

Section 21 no-fault evictions were abolished on 1 May 2026 under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. From that date, no new Section 21 notices can be served in England.

However, the government created a transitional arrangement for landlords who had already served a valid Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026. Those notices remain potentially enforceable — but only if possession proceedings are issued at court by 31 July 2026.

After 31 July 2026, all pre-May Section 21 notices automatically expire. If you have not issued court proceedings by that date, the notice is invalid and cannot be revived. Your tenancy will convert to an assured periodic tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act, and you will need to use Section 8 grounds if you subsequently want possession.

Who this affects

You are in the transitional window if:

• You served a valid Section 21 notice on a tenant before 1 May 2026, and
• You have not yet issued court proceedings seeking possession on the basis of that notice

If both of those things are true, you have until 31 July 2026 to issue proceedings. That is approximately three weeks from the date of this article.

What you need to do

If you want to enforce a pre-May Section 21 notice, you need to issue a possession claim at the county court before 31 July 2026. The relevant court form is N5B (accelerated possession procedure) or N5 (standard possession procedure).

Before you can issue proceedings, the Section 21 notice must have been validly served in the first place. A Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 had to comply with the rules in force at the time. Common reasons a pre-May Section 21 notice may be invalid:

• The deposit was not protected or the prescribed information was not served
• You did not provide the tenant with a gas safety certificate, EPC and How to Rent guide before or at the start of the tenancy
• The notice was served within the first four months of the tenancy
• The notice was on the wrong form
• The property was required to be licensed and was not
• A section 21A prohibition notice was in force

If your notice may be invalid for any of these reasons, seek legal advice before issuing court proceedings. Issuing on a defective notice wastes court fees and time.

If you miss the 31 July deadline

If 31 July passes without court proceedings being issued, the Section 21 notice expires. The tenancy converts to an assured periodic tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

You are not without options. If you have valid grounds under Section 8 — for example, rent arrears, breach of tenancy, or wanting to sell or move in — you can serve a Section 8 notice using the relevant grounds and proceed through court if the tenant does not vacate.

The key difference is that Section 8 requires you to prove a ground. Section 21 did not. If you had been relying on Section 21 to recover possession without a specific reason, the closure of this window means you will need a reason going forward.

If you need to serve a new notice after 31 July

From 1 August 2026 onwards, Section 21 does not exist. The only route to possession is Section 8, using one of the grounds under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988.

If you want possession to sell the property, you will need Ground 1A (intending to sell) — requiring four months' notice and proof of genuine intention to sell.

If you want possession to move in, you will need Ground 1 (landlord or close family member intending to occupy) — also four months' notice.

If you have rent arrears, Grounds 8, 10 and 11 apply — varying notice periods depending on the level of arrears.

RentVault's document templates include the current prescribed forms for Section 8 notices, updated for the Renters' Rights Act grounds.