Section 21: Form 6A requirements

Section 21 was the way a landlord could end an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) without giving a reason. The Renters' Rights Act abolished it on 1 May 2026, so no new Section 21 notice can be served. But a notice served before that date can still reach court, and it is only valid if it was given on the correct form and met a list of legal rules. Here is that checklist.

What is Form 6A?

Form 6A was the prescribed form for Section 21 notices on ASTs in England, required since October 2015 under the Deregulation Act 2015.

A Section 21 notice had to use Form 6A. A different form, or a letter, is not valid.

What information must Form 6A contain?

A valid Form 6A had to include:

• The landlord's name and address
• The tenant or tenants' names
• The property's address
• The date of service
• The correct notice period: at least two months

The expiry date had to give at least two months' notice. For monthly tenancies the notice usually had to end on the last day of a rental period, though some courts read this more flexibly.

Pre-conditions that must be met before a valid section 21 notice

Even a correctly completed form is invalid if certain pre-conditions were not met. The landlord must have:

1. Protected the deposit in a government-approved scheme, with the prescribed information given to the tenant
2. Provided an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
3. Provided a gas safety certificate, where the home has gas
4. Provided the government's "How to Rent" guide at the start of the tenancy
5. Kept clear of housing health and safety enforcement: no council improvement notice or emergency remedial action notice over a hazard at the property in the six months before

The timing rules

The notice had to give at least two months before the possession date, could not be served in the first four months of a new tenancy, and only lasted six months: if the landlord did not start court proceedings within six months of service, it expired. And with Section 21 now abolished, an expired or invalid notice cannot be replaced. Any new attempt must use a Section 8 ground.

What happens when the notice period expires?

A Section 21 notice never gave the landlord the right to walk in or evict by itself. If the tenant stayed after the notice period, the landlord had to ask the county court for a possession order, by the accelerated or the standard procedure. Claims built on valid pre-abolition notices can still run through this process.

The abolition

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 for new and existing tenancies in England on 1 May 2026. Landlords can now only seek possession using the Section 8 grounds. If your notice arrived on or after that date claiming to be a Section 21, it is not valid: get advice.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

Received a pre-abolition Section 21 notice while your home has disrepair? Get urgent housing advice about the notice. For the disrepair, we check whether you may have a claim and refer suitable matters to an SRA-regulated panel solicitor.

Call us on 0800 030 4669. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Section 21, Housing Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Deregulation Act 2015 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015 (legislation.gov.uk)

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