s21 'Request for Possession order and costs' tear off slip

Possession - Section 8 and Section 21

Hi,

I would like to know how long I should reasonably wait before returning the ‘Request for Possession order and costs’ tear off slip on the "Notice Of Issue" (s21 accelerated possession procedure) to the court?

The 14 day period for my tenant to file a defence to the court expired on the 27th of November.

The "Notice Of Issue" does say that “If a defence is filed, the court will send me a copy”, and also says that “If the defendant does not file a defence, you may ask the court to make a possession order..”. But it does not provide any timescales on this point (i.e. the court will inform me with x days on either point”. I have no way of knowing if a defence has been filed, as the tenant has stopped communication.

Thank you