News from 30 July 2026
Read the current guide to tenancy rules in England.
Landlords in England using a Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 faced a final deadline of 31 July to start court proceedings, with earlier limits possible. This July report explains the changeover; use the current tenancy guide for action today.
What changed in England
The tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 began on 1 May 2026. From that date, Section 21 was removed for existing and new assured tenancies in England. A limited transition allowed some notices served before commencement to continue towards a court claim.
That transition is now reaching its outer limit. Official guidance, last updated on 13 July, states that possession proceedings based on a pre-commencement Section 21 notice cannot be started after 31 July 2026. If the earliest date for proceedings shown in the notice falls on or after 1 August, the guidance says the notice is invalid for issuing proceedings.
This is an England-only change. Landlords elsewhere in the UK should use the possession rules and official guidance for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland rather than applying the English deadline to their tenancy.
The deadline may be earlier
The important phrase is “whichever date comes first”. A notice may already have expired, or its own time limit may run out before 31 July. The final national date is therefore not an automatic extension.
Norwich City Council has also reminded landlords that the relevant possession claim must be issued by the court by the deadline. Merely preparing papers, contacting a solicitor or sending documents does not itself satisfy that requirement.
Validity remains a separate question. The government guidance lists conditions that affected Section 21 notices, including the type of tenancy, the notice period, tenancy-deposit protection, prohibited payments and certain property documents. Property condition enforcement action can also affect whether a notice is usable. A looming deadline does not cure an earlier defect.
Pre-May Section 8 notices are also affected
The transitional rules also matter where a landlord served a Section 8 notice before 1 May using the former grounds and form. Government guidance says proceedings based on such a notice can begin only up to whichever comes first: 12 months after the notice was given or the three-month period beginning on 1 May 2026.
There are specific provisions where a tenant is in a debt-respite breathing space, so landlords should not assume that every case follows an identical timetable. The correct date depends on the notice, ground and circumstances.
What happens after the deadline
After the applicable transitional date, a landlord cannot use the old Section 21 notice to start proceedings. If possession is still sought, the case may need to begin under the post-1 May Section 8 framework using an available statutory ground and the current process.
The deadline is therefore a final administrative checkpoint, not a general instruction to bring a claim. Landlords should first establish whether possession is still required, whether the old notice remains valid and whether the legal and procedural conditions are met.
