Section 21 Abolition: London Landlord Guide

From 1 May 2026:

• Section 21 cannot be served for any assured shorthold tenancy in England
• All existing ASTs automatically become assured periodic tenancies
• Fixed-term ASTs cannot be granted for new tenancies after that date
• Possession claims must rely on a specified Section 8 ground
• The "no-fault" two-month route is replaced by ground-specific notices of two weeks to four months

The change applies the same way to every London property type and every borough. There is no grace period for HMOs, student lets, or high-value properties.

London has structural features that interact with Section 21 abolition in distinct ways:

• High proportion of corporate landlords who relied on Section 21 to manage portfolio turnover. These landlords now need Section 8 strategy across thousands of tenancies.
• Significant student population in inner London (UCL, KCL, Imperial, LSE, City, SOAS, Goldsmiths, QM) reliant on academic-year tenancies. Ground 4A is the new route for student HMO turnover.
• Sale market for buy-to-lets where landlords exit because of falling yields. Ground 1A now governs vacant-possession sales.
• Short-let conversions (Airbnb, serviced apartments) have absorbed some former AST stock; these are outside the Section 8 regime entirely.

If you previously used Section 21 to:

• Sell with vacant possession. Use Ground 1A (mandatory). Four months' notice. You must have owned the property for 12 months and intend to sell.
• Move in yourself or a family member. Use Ground 1 (mandatory). Four months' notice. You must have given prior written notice at the start of the tenancy that this could happen.
• End a student let at the academic year boundary. Use Ground 4A (mandatory). Four months' notice. You must have let to students last year and intend to do so again.
• Recover from a problem tenant in arrears. Use Ground 8 (mandatory) if arrears are at least three months at both notice and hearing.
• End a tenancy because of anti-social behaviour. Use Ground 14 (discretionary). No minimum notice period.
• Recover from a tenant in breach (subletting without consent, damage, illegal use). Use Ground 12 (discretionary). Two weeks' notice.

Possession claims in London go through the local County Court hearing centre based on the property's location. Typical timelines after Section 21 abolition:

• Section 8 notice service to issue of claim: two weeks to four months by ground
• Claim issue to first hearing: eight to twelve weeks in busy London centres
• First hearing to bailiff appointment: six to ten weeks (London bailiff backlogs can extend this)
• Bailiff appointment to eviction: four to six weeks

Plan for five to eight months end-to-end in straightforward cases. London courts run busier lists than the national average; high-volume boroughs (Stratford, Croydon, Clerkenwell) can be slower.

Action items:

1. Review every active tenancy and identify which Section 8 grounds are likely to apply
2. For student HMOs, confirm Ground 4A applies (continuous student letting from year to year)
3. Issue any pending Section 21 notices before 1 May 2026 if you want to rely on the old no-fault route
4. Update tenancy agreements to remove fixed-term clauses for new lets after 1 May 2026
5. Build evidence files for likely future grounds: rent records, anti-social complaints, breach correspondence, sale-intent documents
6. Register on the PRS Database in the voluntary window when it opens