Written notice

Written notice is any formal communication given in writing between a landlord and tenant that triggers, records, or fulfils a legal or contractual obligation during a tenancy. Many landlord actions are only valid if given in the correct written form: entering to carry out repairs requires written notice, increasing the rent requires a written statutory notice, ending a tenancy requires a prescribed written form, and, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, landlords must now provide tenants with a written statement of the key terms of their tenancy before or at the start of a new let.

"In writing" includes letters, emails and text messages for most purposes in a residential tenancy from 1 May 2026, but certain statutory notices carry additional requirements, including prescribed forms and specified service methods, and the method used affects when the notice period begins to run.

Access and repairs

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a landlord has an implied right to enter a property at reasonable times of day to inspect its condition or carry out repairs, but only after giving at least 24 hours' written notice. What counts as reasonable notice for routine access, as distinct from emergency entry, is confirmed in Section 11, and the landlord must respect the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment throughout. A text message or email giving 24 hours' warning is sufficient for access notice, though written records of the exchange should be retained.

Rent increases

On a periodic assured tenancy, a landlord may only increase rent once in any twelve-month period, and must do so using the statutory Section 13 procedure under the Housing Act 1988. The landlord must serve a written Form 4A notice on the tenant giving at least two months' notice before the new rent takes effect. Contractual rent review clauses that purport to increase rent by any other mechanism are void under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The tenant may refer the proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal if they consider it above market rate.

For a full guide to the current rent increase rules, including timing, the Form 4A procedure, and tribunal challenges, see our article on when landlords can increase rent.

Possession notices

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 notice is abolished for all private tenancies in England. All possession proceedings now rely on a Section 8 notice served in writing using the prescribed Form 3A, citing one or more statutory grounds for possession. The notice period depends on the ground. Two weeks for Ground 8 mandatory rent arrears, two months for grounds involving the landlord's intention to sell (Ground 1A) or move in (Ground 1), and so on. An incorrectly completed form, wrong notice period, or wrong service method invalidates the notice and requires the landlord to restart.

The tenant's notice to quit

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, a tenant wishing to end an assured periodic tenancy must give at least two months' written notice to quit. From 1 May 2026, government guidance confirms that a tenant's notice to quit can be given by letter, email or text, and a landlord cannot contractually require it to be in a particular form. The notice period begins running from the date the notice is received (or deemed received), not from the date it is sent.

The Renters' Rights Act written statement obligation

Specific transitional documents, such as the Information Sheet, carry their own service rules. This is the most practically urgent written notice obligation in 2026. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, landlords must provide tenants with a written statement of the key terms of the tenancy before a new assured tenancy begins. For existing tenancies that converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, landlords were required to serve the official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 on every named tenant by 31 May 2026. Failure to comply is a civil penalty offence with a fine of up to £7,000 per breach.

The written statement for new tenancies must include, among other things, the names of all parties, the property address, the start date, the rent amount and payment date, the deposit amount and protection scheme, the landlord's address for service of notices, and statements confirming the landlord's repairing obligations under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the fitness for habitation duty under Section 9A. The full list is set out in the draft statutory instrument under the Act.

From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, the written statement obligation is the single most common compliance gap we are seeing in 2026. Many landlords who relied on informal or partly written arrangements before May did not realise they needed to serve the Information Sheet on existing tenants, or did not know the deadline.

How to serve written notice validly

The method used to serve a written notice matters because it affects when the notice period begins to run and, in the event of a dispute, whether service can be proved.

Personal delivery to the tenant at the property is the most reliable method. The landlord or a witness should record the time, date and location of delivery.

First-class post to the tenant's address at the property is presumed to be delivered on the second working day after posting, unless the recipient can prove otherwise, confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Khan v D'Aubigny [2024]. Using recorded delivery creates a delivery receipt.

Email, for most notices in a residential tenancy from 1 May 2026, is permitted where the tenancy agreement allows email service or where the government guidance confirms it (as it does for the tenant's notice to quit and for the Information Sheet). For statutory possession notices, Section 8 Form 3A, best practice is to serve by post to the property address and also email, so both methods are on record. The NRLA advises against relying on email alone for possession notices.

Regardless of method, always retain: the date sent, the method used, a copy of what was sent, and evidence of receipt where available (certificate of posting, read receipt, delivery confirmation). A valid notice is only useful in proceedings if you can prove it was served. August's document management feature lets landlords store sent notices alongside tenancy agreements and certificates in one compliance record.

The length of time that must elapse between service and effect is the notice period, which varies by notice type and statutory ground. The formal act of delivering the notice to the correct recipient is serving notice.

Frequently asked questions

Can a landlord give written notice by email?

For most purposes in a residential tenancy from 1 May 2026, yes, email satisfies the "in writing" requirement. However, certain statutory notices carry prescribed service requirements. For possession notices (Section 8 Form 3A), the NRLA advises that email alone carries risk and that a hard copy should also be posted to the property. The tenancy agreement may also specify a required method of service; if it does, that method should be followed. Always retain evidence of what was sent, when, and how.

What is the difference between written notice and a prescribed notice form?

Written notice is the general category, any formal communication in writing. A prescribed notice form is a specific statutory document that must be used for particular purposes and cannot be replaced by a letter or email. Form 3A (Section 8 possession notice) and Form 4A (Section 13 rent increase notice) are both prescribed forms: using the wrong form, or a homemade letter instead, means the notice is invalid.

What happens if a written notice is not served correctly?

An incorrectly served notice has no legal effect. For a possession notice, this means the landlord must serve again from scratch, extending the time before proceedings can be issued and allowing arrears or other breaches to continue accruing. For a rent increase notice served incorrectly, the increase does not take effect on the intended date. Courts and tribunals will not cure defective service, the burden is entirely on the landlord to serve correctly.

What written notice must landlords give new tenants under the Renters' Rights Act 2025?

Before a new assured tenancy begins, landlords must provide the tenant with a written statement containing the key terms of the tenancy. The full list of required contents is set out in the regulations made under the Act. For tenancies converted from assured shorthold tenancies on 1 May 2026, the official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 had to be served on every named tenant by 31 May 2026. Failure to comply attracts a civil penalty of up to £7,000. The Information Sheet must be downloaded from gov.uk and cannot be paraphrased or linked to.