Notice period

A notice period is the minimum amount of time that must pass between a landlord or tenant giving notice of their intention to end a tenancy and the date the tenancy legally comes to an end. It is expressed in weeks or months, "two months' notice", "four weeks' notice", and its length depends on who is giving the notice and, for landlords, on the specific legal ground being relied on. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026, substantially changed the notice period framework for private tenancies in England. Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies are abolished; break clauses are void for tenancies governed by the Act; and all private tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies with no fixed end date.

Tenant notice: two months

A tenant wishing to leave an assured periodic tenancy must give the landlord at least two months' written notice. This is the statutory minimum under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The notice must be given in writing, letter, email, or text message, and should be timed so that it expires on the last day of a rental period (i.e. the day before the next rent payment is due). A landlord and tenant can agree a shorter notice period in writing, but a landlord cannot require a tenant to give more than two months.

The tenant remains liable for rent throughout the notice period. If the tenant leaves before the notice period expires without the landlord's written agreement, rent will continue to accrue until the tenancy legally ends. For a joint tenancy, the safest approach is for all tenants named on the agreement to sign the notice jointly; a notice served by one joint tenant alone can in some circumstances end the tenancy for all, which may not be the intended outcome.

Landlord notice: ground-dependent

A landlord cannot end an assured periodic tenancy by giving notice without a reason. Section 21 no-fault notices were abolished from 1 May 2026. Every landlord notice must be served using a Section 8 notice on Form 3A, citing one or more statutory grounds for possession. The notice period depends on which ground is relied on, it varies from two weeks to four months.

The main notice periods landlords encounter are:

• Two weeks. Serious rent arrears where the mandatory threshold is met (Ground 8, once the tenant owes three months' rent or more at the point of notice and at the hearing). This is the shortest available landlord notice period.

• Four weeks. Various grounds relating to breach of the tenancy agreement, criminal conviction, antisocial behaviour, and certain property-specific situations.

• Two months. Includes a range of grounds where the tenant has done something wrong but the matter is less immediately serious, and also certain supported accommodation grounds.

• Four months. The main no-fault-adjacent grounds, the landlord intending to sell the property (Ground 1A), the landlord or a close family member intending to move in (Ground 1), and ground 4A for student HMO tenancies at the end of the academic year. These grounds cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.

The notice period runs from the date the notice is served to the earliest date on which the landlord may apply to court, not the date the court will hear the case. If the tenant does not leave when the notice period expires, the landlord must apply to court for a possession order. The court will list a hearing; every possession claim now requires one, since the accelerated paper-based route was abolished by the Renters' Rights Act.

The 12-month protected period

Tenants on new assured periodic tenancies have a protected period covering the first 12 months of the tenancy. During this period, a landlord cannot serve a Section 8 notice under the grounds most commonly used for no-fault repossession — Grounds 1 (landlord or family moving in), 1A (sale), 1B (superior landlord), and Ground 6 (redevelopment). Notice can be served during the protected period for these grounds but cannot expire until the 12 months have passed, meaning in practice the landlord must give more than the stated four months' notice where the tenancy is still in its early stages.

Grounds for serious misconduct, including rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, criminal conviction, are not subject to the protected period and can be used at any point in the tenancy.

What makes a notice valid

For a notice to be legally effective, it must be in writing, state the correct ground or grounds (for Section 8 notices), give at least the minimum required notice period for the ground relied on, and, for tenant notices, expire on the last day of a rental period. Serving the wrong notice form (for example, using the old Form 3 rather than Form 3A for notices served on or after 1 May 2026), giving an incorrect notice period, or failing to state the grounds fully will invalidate the notice. An invalid notice means the tenancy does not end and the process must be restarted.

August's document management feature stores Section 8 notices and associated correspondence, giving landlords a timestamped record of every notice served and received across their portfolio.

The specific reason a landlord cites in a Section 8 notice is called a ground for possession, and it determines the notice period that applies, for the full list and explanation, see the August definition of grounds for possession. The document a landlord must use to give notice is the Section 8 notice, for a full explanation of Form 3A, mandatory versus discretionary grounds, and how to serve it correctly, see the August definition of the Section 8 notice.

For the full context of what changed on 1 May 2026, including how notice periods shifted and what replaced Section 21, see the August guide to evictions in 2026. Landlords setting up new tenancies should also read the August tenancy agreement guide, which covers what must be included in writing and what notice terms are now void.

Frequently asked questions

How much notice does a tenant have to give to leave a rented property?

From 1 May 2026, a tenant on an assured periodic tenancy must give at least two months' written notice. The notice should end on the last day of a rental period. A landlord and tenant can agree a shorter notice period in writing, but the tenant cannot be required to give more than two months.

How much notice does a landlord have to give to end a tenancy?

A landlord cannot end a tenancy by giving notice without a specific legal reason. Every landlord notice must cite one or more statutory grounds for possession under Section 8. The notice period depends on the ground, two weeks for serious rent arrears at the mandatory threshold, four weeks for various breach and misconduct grounds, two months for a range of intermediate grounds, and four months for the main property-need grounds (landlord selling, moving in). The four-month grounds cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.

Does notice have to end on a rent day?

For tenant notices, yes, the notice should expire on the last day of a rental period, which is typically the day before the next rent payment is due. For landlord Section 8 notices, the notice period is measured from service date to the earliest court application date, without the same rent-period alignment requirement, though getting the dates right on the form is still essential to validity.

What happens if the wrong notice period is given?

If a tenant gives insufficient notice or the notice does not expire on the last day of a rental period, it may be invalid, meaning the tenancy will not end on the intended date. For a landlord, serving a Section 8 notice with the wrong notice period, the wrong form, or incomplete grounds information invalidates the notice entirely, the landlord must serve a fresh notice and wait out the full period again before applying to court.