Homelessness

My Landlord has told me to leave

Evicting Tenants  

Your landlord must give you a Section 21 Notice at the start of the process to end your assured shorthold tenancy.

The landlord does not have to give a reason why they are serving notice, as long as the landlord follows the correct procedure, they are entitled to take possession of the property.

A Homelessness Officer can advise whether the Notice is valid and they can liaise with your landlord and try and address any issues that may have caused the Notice ie rent arrears.

If you have paid a deposit the landlord needs to have protected this with one of three authorised schemes within 30 days of receiving the deposit.  You will have received notification of this.

You can read more about evicting tenants at gov.uk/evicting-tenants
 

What is a Section 21 Notice?

A Section 21 Notice is a legal notice of seeking possession. 

Read more about Section 21 Notices at gov.uk/evicting-tenants/section-21-and-section-8-notices

 

When is a Section 21 Notice invalid?

A Section 21 Notice can be invalid if you receive it before your landlord gives you a current copy of the following documents:

  • Gas Safety Certificate
  • Energy Performance Certificate
  • How to rent: the checklist for renting in England – this is a government produced guide

Your landlord can't give you a valid section 21 notice during the first 4 months of your original contract.

The notice must be on a 6A form if your tenancy started or was renewed on or after 1 October 2015.

Your landlord must start court action within 6 months of giving you the notice. The notice becomes invalid if they wait longer than this.

 

Further Information

You can find out how to challenge a Section 21 Notice at england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/eviction/section_21_eviction/challenging_a_section_21_notice_in_court