Private renting

If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST), your landlord does not have to give a reason for ending your tenancy. However, if you have not been given the correct information at the start of the tenancy, or if your landlord is not following the correct procedure to end the tenancy, there may be a delay before you need to move. This could buy you important time to find somewhere else to live.

When can a notice be served?

A landlord must wait until 4 months after the tenancy start date before serving a notice asking you to leave. Any Section 21 notice served before then will be invalid.

All Section 21 notices must be in writing and give at least two months' notice to leave. Your contract may specify that a longer notice period should be given in which case, the notice period must comply with the contract.

The notice must be in a specific format and the notice can be completed on a Form 6A. If this form has not been used then the notice must contain exactly the same wording.

Have you been given the right information?

In most cases, your landlord is required to provide you with certain information including

• a gas safety certificate (if you have a gas supply to your home)
• an energy performance certificate
• a booklet called 'How to rent' (the version which was current at the time your tenancy started or was renewed)

If you have been served a Section 21 notice and want to seek help from us, you should get all of the information you were given together, including these items if you were given them.

What do I do next?

If you have been served with a notice and you are unable to resolve the problems that has led your landlord to serve you with notice, or you do not believe you will be able to find alternative accommodation by the expiry of your notice, it is important that you seek the help of your local council.