If you served a Section 21 before 1 May 2026, you have until 31 July to start court proceedings — or the notice lapses. Here's exactly what evidence you need to bring.
Section 21 "no-fault" evictions were abolished on 1 May 2026 when the Renters' Rights Act came into force. But if you served a valid Section 21 notice before that date, you've got a narrow window to act on it — and that window shuts on 31 July 2026.
Miss it and the notice is gone. The tenancy automatically converts to an assured periodic tenancy under the new rules. You'd then need to use a Section 8 ground — which requires cause, proper notice periods, and potentially a court hearing where the tenant can defend. It's a completely different process.
This post is for landlords who already served a Section 21 and need to decide whether to act on it. If you're past that stage and just need the checklist, scroll to the bottom.
The Transition Rule
Paragraph 4 of Schedule 6 of the Renters' Rights Act creates a straightforward rule for Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026:
The notice remains valid until the earlier of:
- 6 months from the date the notice was served, or
- 31 July 2026
So if you served a Section 21 on 1 February 2026, your 6-month window would normally run until 1 August — but the 31 July longstop cuts that short by one day.
If you served on 1 November 2025, your 6-month window already closed on 1 May 2026. The notice has lapsed. Nothing you can do with it now.
And if you served on 15 March 2026, your 6-month window would run until 15 September — but the 31 July longstop applies, so you have until 31 July.
The longstop date catches everyone who served after 31 January 2026. Whatever your individual 6-month window, 31 July is the hard stop.
What "Issue Court Proceedings" Actually Means
This trips up landlords who assume they just need to "send something to the court." To act on a Section 21 notice, you must issue court proceedings for possession before the deadline. In practice, this means:
- File a Section 21 possession claim using Form N5B at the county court
- Pay the court fee — currently £355 for the accelerated possession procedure
- The court must receive the claim before 31 July 2026 — not just have it posted. If you post it on 29 July and it arrives on 1 August, you've missed the deadline.
Online filing through Possession Claims Online (PCOL) is faster and gives you an immediate receipt with a timestamp. If you're cutting it close, this is safer than Royal Mail.
Accelerated vs standard procedure
The accelerated possession procedure (no hearing, paper-based) is available if:
- The tenancy was an AST
- The Section 21 notice was served correctly and has not expired
- The deposit was properly protected and prescribed information was served
- The tenant hasn't raised a disrepair defence or other counterclaim
If any of those conditions aren't met — particularly the deposit or prescribed information — you'll need the standard procedure, which involves a hearing. That takes significantly longer and requires you to prove your case in person. If you're in this situation, talk to a solicitor now, not in July.
The Compliance Evidence You'll Need
A Section 21 notice is only valid if you were fully compliant at the time you served it. The court will check all of this, and the tenant's solicitor (if they have one) will challenge any gaps. Don't assume anything — check every item.
Deposit protection
- The deposit was protected in a government-approved scheme (DPS, TDS, or MyDeposits) within 30 days of receiving it
- The prescribed information (PI) was served on the tenant within 30 days
- You have proof of both — the protection certificate and evidence the PI was given (email confirmation, signed receipt, or tracked delivery record)
This is the most common reason Section 21 notices fail. If the deposit was protected late, or the PI wasn't served, the notice is invalid regardless of anything else.
Gas Safety Certificate
- A valid Gas Safety Certificate was in place at the time the notice was served
- A copy was given to the tenant within 28 days of the annual check
- You have the certificate and can prove it was given to the tenant
EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)
- A valid EICR was in place (mandatory for all existing tenancies since 1 April 2021)
- A copy was given to the tenant within 28 days of the inspection
- Any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) items were resolved within 28 days, and the tenant was given evidence of the remedial work
EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)
- A valid EPC was available before the tenancy started
- The property meets the minimum E rating (or has a valid exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register)
How to Rent guide
- The government's "How to Rent" guide was given to the tenant at the start of the tenancy
- If the guide was updated during the tenancy, the most recent version was re-served
This is another one that catches landlords out. The guide gets updated periodically, and if you didn't re-serve the latest version, the Section 21 may be invalid. Check which version was current when you served the notice.
The RRA Information Sheet (new — and arguable)
If you're issuing court proceedings after 31 May 2026, you may also need to show you served the RRA Information Sheet. The interaction between the transition rules and the Information Sheet obligation isn't fully tested in court yet. Some housing lawyers argue it's required; others say the transition provisions exempt pre-RRA notices.
The safe approach: serve the Information Sheet now anyway. It takes 2 minutes and removes the risk entirely. If the court decides it was required and you didn't do it, your possession claim could fail at the last hurdle.
Your Checklist
Work through this list now. Don't leave it to July.
- [ ] Confirm the notice date. When was the Section 21 served? Is the 6-month window still open? Is it before the 31 July longstop?
- [ ] Check deposit protection. Is the deposit still protected in an approved scheme? Do you have the prescribed information receipt? Was it protected within 30 days?
- [ ] Check Gas Safety. Is the certificate current? Was a copy given to the tenant within 28 days of the check?
- [ ] Check EICR. Is it valid? Were any C1/C2 items resolved within 28 days? Was the tenant given a copy?
- [ ] Check EPC. Is it valid? Is the property rated E or above (or exempt)?
- [ ] Check How to Rent. Was the correct version served? Was it the most recent version at the time?
- [ ] Serve the RRA Information Sheet. If you haven't already, do it now as a precaution — it removes a potential challenge point.
- [ ] Instruct a solicitor or prepare Form N5B. Filing court papers takes time. Solicitors are busier than usual because every landlord with a pending Section 21 is trying to file before the same deadline.
- [ ] File at court before 31 July 2026. The court must receive the claim. Use Possession Claims Online for an immediate receipt.
How Doorkeep Helps
Doorkeep isn't a Section 21 form generator — you'll need a solicitor or housing specialist for the court paperwork. But the Evidence Vault is exactly what you need for the compliance evidence that determines whether your notice is valid:
- Compliance tracking monitors your Gas Safety, EICR, and EPC certificates with expiry dates and service records
- Document service records prove when you gave the tenant prescribed information, the How to Rent guide, and the RRA Information Sheet
- Deposit tracking records the scheme, protection date, reference number, and prescribed information status for each tenant
- Timestamped evidence for every action — the kind of dated paper trail a court expects
If any compliance item is missing, expired, or unrecorded, your Section 21 fails regardless of the deadline. Doorkeep shows you the gaps before a judge does.
Check your compliance status in Doorkeep — it takes 5 minutes to see where you stand.
What If You Miss 31 July?
If you don't issue court proceedings by 31 July 2026:
- Your Section 21 notice lapses permanently — it cannot be revived or re-served
- The tenancy automatically becomes an assured periodic tenancy under the RRA
- You can no longer evict without cause
- To regain possession, you'd need a Section 8 notice with one of the statutory grounds — rent arrears (at least 2 months), antisocial behaviour, landlord wants to sell (Ground 1A, 4 months' notice), or landlord wants to move in (Ground 1, 4 months' notice)
Section 8 requires cause, proper notice periods (typically 2–4 months depending on the ground), and usually a court hearing where the tenant can defend. It's slower, more expensive, and less certain than the old Section 21 accelerated procedure.
If you're not sure whether to act on your Section 21, consider whether you have a viable Section 8 ground as a fallback. If you do, the urgency is lower. If you don't, and you want the tenant to leave, July is your last chance.
Timeline
| Date | What happens | |------|-------------| | Before 1 May 2026 | Section 21 notices served under the old rules | | 1 May 2026 | RRA commences — no new Section 21 notices can be served | | 31 May 2026 | RRA Information Sheet must be served to all existing tenants | | 31 July 2026 | Longstop deadline — all pre-RRA Section 21 notices lapse if court proceedings haven't been issued | | August 2026+ | Section 8 is the only possession route for private landlords |
Don't Wait Until July
Courts are busy. Solicitors are booked up. The closer you get to 31 July, the harder it becomes to file in time — and if you spot a compliance gap (missing deposit PI, expired gas cert) you'll need time to fix it before filing.
If you're going to act on a pre-RRA Section 21, start now. Gather your evidence, run through the checklist, and instruct your solicitor this month.
Published 2 May 2026. Based on Schedule 6 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and GOV.UK transition guidance current at the date of publication. This is informational content, not legal advice — consult a housing solicitor for your specific situation.