Home › Section 8 notice › Grounds

Section 8 notice grounds: the full list for private landlords

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 rewrote the grounds for possession in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 from 1 May 2026. Here are the grounds a private landlord is likely to use, with the minimum notice for each.

Information, not legal advice. Know Your Let is not a law firm and does not act in court cases. We can help with the notice stage (see pricing); court claims and hearings are for you or a solicitor.

Section 8 grounds list and notice periods

Ground	Reason	Mandatory or discretionary	Minimum notice
1	Landlord or family member moving in	Mandatory	4 months
1A	Landlord intends to sell	Mandatory	4 months
2	Sale by mortgage lender	Mandatory	4 months
4A	Student HMO needed for new students (prior notice needed)	Mandatory	4 months
5C	Tenancy linked to employment by the landlord has ended (prior notice needed)	Mandatory	2 months
6	Redevelopment	Mandatory	4 months
6B	Compliance with enforcement action	Mandatory	4 months
7	Death of the tenant	Mandatory	2 months
7A	Severe antisocial or criminal behaviour	Mandatory	None – can apply to court straight away
7B	Tenant has no right to rent	Mandatory	2 weeks
8	Serious rent arrears (3 months / 13 weeks)	Mandatory	4 weeks
9	Suitable alternative accommodation	Discretionary	2 months
10	Any rent arrears	Discretionary	4 weeks
11	Persistent late payment of rent	Discretionary	4 weeks
12	Breach of a tenancy term (not rent)	Discretionary	2 weeks
13	Deterioration of the property	Discretionary	2 weeks
14	Antisocial behaviour	Discretionary	None – can apply to court straight away
14ZA	Conviction for an offence during a riot	Discretionary	2 weeks
15	Deterioration of furniture	Discretionary	2 weeks
17	Tenancy obtained by a false statement	Discretionary	2 weeks

Housing Act 1988, s8(4AA) and Schedule 2, as amended. Grounds only for social landlords, universities or supported housing (such as 1B, 4, 5A, 5B, 5D–5H, 6A, 14A, 18) are omitted.

Mandatory means the judge must order possession if you prove the ground. Discretionary means the judge must also decide it is reasonable, and can suspend the order on conditions.

Grounds 1 and 1A: moving in or selling

4 months' notice, and the date in the notice cannot fall within the first 12 months of the tenancy. You can serve earlier, but the date must be after the 12 months.
Ground 1 covers the property being needed as the only or main home of you; your spouse, civil partner or partner you live with; your parent, grandparent, sibling, child or grandchild; or a child or grandchild of your spouse or partner.
After relying on Ground 1 or 1A you must not let the property, or market it to let, from the day you serve the notice until 12 months after the earliest court date stated in it (Housing Act 1988, s16E and s16M). Breaches can lead to council fines of up to £40,000 or prosecution.
You must reasonably believe you can get possession on the ground; using a ground without that belief can bring a fine of up to £7,000.

Rent arrears grounds: 8, 10 and 11

Ground 8 is mandatory but needs 3 months' rent (monthly rent) or 13 weeks' rent (weekly or fortnightly rent) unpaid both when the notice is served and at the hearing. Ground 10 covers any arrears and Ground 11 persistent late payment; both are discretionary. All three need 4 weeks' notice, so landlords usually cite all three together. Ground 8 in detail.

Antisocial behaviour: 7A and 14

Ground 7A (serious offences, breaches of injunctions or closure orders) is mandatory; Ground 14 (nuisance, annoyance or offences near the property) is discretionary. Neither needs a notice period – you can apply to court on the day you serve – and the deposit rules that block other grounds do not apply. Ground 7A has its own time limits linked to the conviction or order.

Other breaches: 12, 13, 15 and 17

Breaking a tenancy term, damage to the property or furniture, and a false statement to get the tenancy all need 2 weeks' notice and are discretionary. Evidence matters: photos, inventories, correspondence.

Before relying on any ground

For most grounds the court will not make an order unless the deposit was protected and prescribed information given (or the deposit returned) – deposit protection.
Write the full statutory wording on Form 3A, then explain in your own words why it applies.
If the property should be licensed and isn't, get advice first – unlicensed property.

Common questions

What is Ground 1A under the Renters’ Rights Act?

Ground 1A lets a landlord seek possession to sell the property. It is mandatory, needs 4 months’ notice, and the date in the notice must be at least 12 months after the tenancy began. It cannot be used against an assured (non-shorthold) tenancy created before 1 May 2026.

What is the Ground 1A legal wording?

Copy it word for word from the GOV.UK document “Form 3A: legal wording for possession grounds” on the assured tenancy forms page. Do not paraphrase it or rely on the ground’s name.

Can I re-let the property after using Ground 1 or 1A?

No, not for a restricted period: from the day you serve the notice until 12 months after the earliest court date stated in it, you must not let or market the property to let (with narrow exceptions). Councils can fine up to £40,000 or prosecute.

Which grounds need prior notice?

Some grounds only work if the tenant was told at the start of the tenancy that they might be used – for example Grounds 2ZA, 2ZB, 4A and 5C. The GOV.UK grounds guidance has the full list.

Sources

Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Figures and fees change; check the official source before you act.