Notice to quit

Introduction

Most tenancies in the private rented sector are assured shorthold tenancies. These agreements can be ended by the landlord serving a Section 8 or Section 21 notice. These are notices seeking possession meaning the tenancy does not end on the expiry of the notice and therefore the rent continues to be due. Instead, these notices give the landlord the right to apply to court for a possession order to end the tenancy. 

However, where your tenancy is not an assured or assured shorthold tenancy then it is likely to be a non-assured or common law tenancy instead.

These tenancy agreements grant the occupiers with 'basic protection' meaning that you can only enforce the end of the tenancy via a court order. If the tenancy is periodic you will also have to provide sufficient notice to end the agreement before you can apply for this court order.

To provide sufficient notice you will need to serve a notice to quit rather than a Section 21 or Section 8 notice.

Renters’ Rights Act

The Renters' Rights Bill, the most significant set of changes to the PRS in over 30 years, completed its passage through parliament on 27th October 2025 and is now the Renters' Rights Act.

The legislation doesn't apply to your tenancies yet though. The legislation will not come into force until 1 May 2026. From that date, the Act will:

• Abolish Section 21;
• Change the notice periods and grounds available for Section 8 notices;
• Change the type of tenancy you can offer;
• Ban rent in advance before the tenancy is signed;
• Only allow rent increases via a Section 13 notice;
• Change advertising practices; and 
• Significantly strengthen local authority enforcement powers.

The rest of the of the Renters' Rights Act, including the private rented database and the Decent Homes Standard, will follow at a later date.

The advice and resources on this page is currently accurate but will be outdated on 1 May 2026. 

The NRLA is currently preparing a suite of replacement guides and tenancy documents to help you manage the transition smoothly.

For further information on the Renters' Rights Act and its details, please see our dedicated Renters' Rights hub.