The Government confirmed in October 2026 that the provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2026 abolishing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (the "no-fault eviction" notice) will come into force for all tenancies — both new and existing — on 1 December 2026. From that date, landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants simply by serving a Section 21 notice without giving a specific ground for possession.
What changes. From 1 December 2026: (1) no new Section 21 notices can be served; (2) any Section 21 notice served before 1 December 2026 that has not yet been acted on will still be valid for court proceedings commenced before 1 June 2027 — after that date, existing Section 21 notices expire; (3) all possession claims must rely on one of the grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988, which have been significantly expanded by the Renters' Rights Act. The main new grounds include landlord requiring the property for their own use (expanded), landlord intending to sell, and persistent rent arrears.
What does not change. Landlords who have a genuine reason to recover possession still can — the Act does not give tenants security of tenure indefinitely. The notice periods and grounds for possession (Section 8) have been reformed, but possession remains available. The right to challenge disrepair and the retaliatory eviction protection are strengthened, not weakened. For the deposit return changes under the same Act, see the deposit return news item. The section 8 eviction notice guide covers the current possession grounds.