Section 8 notice period calculator
Choose the grounds and the date you will serve Form 3A. You get the date for question 2.1, the last day to issue a claim, and the evidence each ground needs.
Your notice
Form 3A, private rented sector in England, notices served from 1 May 2026.
Ground 8 arrears check
Ground 8 threshold: £2,850.00 (3 months’ rent).
Dates for question 2.1
Served on Sun, 25 October 2026, you can apply to court from Sun, 22 November 2026, set by grounds 8, 10 and 11.
Rent arrears grounds cannot be served while the tenant is in a debt-respite breathing space.
| Ground | Notice | Earliest |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 weeks | 22 November 2026 |
| 10 | 4 weeks | 22 November 2026 |
| 11 | 4 weeks | 22 November 2026 |
Evidence to gather
Ground 8: Serious rent arrears
At least 3 months’ rent unpaid (monthly rent) or 13 weeks’ (weekly or fortnightly), both when you serve and at the hearing.
- Arrears unpaid only because a Universal Credit housing payment has not arrived yet are ignored.
- Do not serve on rent grounds during a debt-respite breathing space.
- The court cannot dispense with the notice for this ground.
- Rent statement at the date of service
- Updated rent statement for the hearing
- Universal Credit payment dates if relevant
Ground 10: Some rent arrears
Some rent is unpaid when proceedings begin and was in arrears when you served the notice.
- The court must also think possession is reasonable.
- Not during a breathing space.
- Rent statement
Ground 11: Persistent late payment
The tenant has persistently delayed paying rent, whether or not anything is owed now.
- The court must also think possession is reasonable.
- Not during a breathing space.
- Full payment history
Before you serve
- Copy the full legal wording of each ground into question 4.2 from the official Form 3A legal wording PDF. A ground name alone can make the notice invalid.
- The deposit must be protected and the prescribed information given, or the court cannot order possession (except grounds 7A and 14).
- Serve by a method in the tenancy agreement, otherwise in person, through the letterbox or by registered post. Record it on form N215.
- After the notice period: claim on forms N5 and N119.
In forceas of 25 October 2026Form 3A: Completing the notice seeking possession – guidance for private landlords
In forceas of 25 October 2026Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2 (grounds for possession, as amended)
Notice periods by ground
From Housing Act 1988 section 8(4AA), as set out in the Form 3A guidance for landlords. With several grounds you wait for the longest.
| Ground | What it covers | Type | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Occupation by landlord or family. You, your spouse or partner, or a close family member need the home as their only or principal home. | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 1A | Sale of the property. You intend to sell the freehold or leasehold (or grant a lease of more than 21 years). | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 2 | Sale by mortgage lender. Your lender is entitled to sell under its power of sale and needs vacant possession. | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 4A | Student HMO for the next academic year. An HMO let to full-time students, needed for a new group of students. | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 5C | End of employment. The home was let because of the tenant’s employment, and that employment has ended (or an early-employment letting has served its purpose). | Mandatory | 2 months |
| 6 | Redevelopment. You intend to demolish, reconstruct or carry out substantial works that cannot be done with the tenant in place. | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 6B | Compliance with enforcement action. You need possession to comply with a banning order, overcrowding notice, prohibition order or licensing decision. | Mandatory | 4 months |
| 7 | Death of the tenant. The tenancy passed under a will or intestacy to someone who was not living there. | Mandatory | 2 months |
| 7A | Severe antisocial behaviour or serious offence. Conviction for a serious offence, breach of an ASB injunction or criminal behaviour order, a closure order, or a noise offence. | Mandatory | No minimum |
| 7B | No right to rent. The Home Office has notified you that a tenant or adult occupier is disqualified from renting. | Mandatory | 2 weeks |
| 8 | Serious rent arrears. At least 3 months’ rent unpaid (monthly rent) or 13 weeks’ (weekly or fortnightly), both when you serve and at the hearing. | Mandatory | 4 weeks |
| 9 | Suitable alternative accommodation. Suitable alternative accommodation is or will be available to the tenant. | Discretionary | 2 months |
| 10 | Some rent arrears. Some rent is unpaid when proceedings begin and was in arrears when you served the notice. | Discretionary | 4 weeks |
| 11 | Persistent late payment. The tenant has persistently delayed paying rent, whether or not anything is owed now. | Discretionary | 4 weeks |
| 12 | Breach of tenancy. A term of the tenancy other than paying rent has been broken. | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 13 | Deterioration of the property. The condition of the home or common parts has got worse through the tenant’s or a resident’s waste, neglect or default. | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 14 | Nuisance or antisocial behaviour. Nuisance or annoyance to neighbours or to you or your staff, or a conviction for illegal or immoral use or an indictable offence locally. | Discretionary | No minimum |
| 14ZA | Rioting. The tenant or an adult resident was convicted of an indictable offence committed during and at the scene of a riot in the UK. | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 15 | Deterioration of furniture. Furniture you provided has deteriorated through ill-treatment. | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 17 | False statement. You granted the tenancy because of a false statement made knowingly or recklessly by the tenant (or someone they put up to it). | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
Not legal advice: possession claims are strict about form and service. If the case is contested or unusual, take advice before you serve. Keep the deposit protected, because the court cannot order possession otherwise (except on grounds 7A and 14).
Frequently asked questions
What date goes in question 2.1 of Form 3A?
The day after the longest notice period for the grounds you use ends. Form 3A guidance example: grounds 8 and 7 served on 1 June 2026 give 1 August 2026, because ground 7 needs two months.
How long is a section 8 notice valid?
You must start court proceedings within 12 months of the date you served it, or it lapses. A debt-respite breathing space can extend that by 8 weeks after the breathing space ends.
Can I use ground 1 or 1A in the first year?
You can serve the notice, but the date in it must be at least one year after the tenancy began. After using either ground you must not re-let or market the home to let for 12 months from that date.
What counts for ground 8 rent arrears?
At least three months’ rent if rent is monthly, or 13 weeks’ rent if weekly or fortnightly, both when you serve and at the hearing. Arrears unpaid only because a Universal Credit housing payment has not arrived are ignored.
Can I still serve a section 21 notice?
No. Section 21 was abolished for private tenancies on 1 May 2026, and notices served before then could only be used for claims issued by 31 July 2026.
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