Section 21: Form 6A requirements

A section 21 notice is how a landlord starts the process of ending an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) without giving a reason. For it to be valid, the notice must be given on the correct form and meet a number of legal requirements. Below we set out the requirements for Form 6A.

What is Form 6A?

Form 6A is the prescribed form for section 21 notices for ASTs in England. It has been the required form since October 2015, when the Deregulation Act 2015 came into force and introduced new rules for section 21 notices.

Landlords must use Form 6A for any section 21 notice served on an AST in England. Using a different form or letter is not valid.

What information must Form 6A contain?

A valid Form 6A must include:

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

The expiry date on the notice must give the tenant at least two months' notice. For monthly tenancies, the notice must end on the last day of a rental period (though some courts are more flexible on this point).

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

Even if the form is completed correctly, the section 21 notice is invalid if certain pre-conditions are not met. The landlord must have:

1. Protected the deposit: if a deposit was taken, it must be in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme, and prescribed information must have been given to the tenant
2. Provided an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
3. Provided a gas safety certificate (where applicable)
4. Provided the government's "How to Rent" guide at the start of the tenancy (or the current version when it was updated)
5. Not been in breach of housing health and safety obligations: the council cannot have issued an improvement notice or emergency remedial action notice in relation to a hazard at the property within the past six months

The three-month rule

A section 21 notice must be given at least two months before the possession date. Landlords cannot give notice in the first four months of a new tenancy. The notice is only valid for six months, if the landlord does not begin court proceedings within six months of service of the notice, it expires and they must serve a new one.

What happens when the notice period expires?

The section 21 notice does not automatically give the landlord the right to enter or evict. After the notice period expires, if the tenant has not left, the landlord must apply to the county court for a possession order. They can use the accelerated possession procedure or the standard procedure.

Renters Rights Act: end of section 21

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 will abolish section 21 notices entirely for existing and new tenancies in England. After the Act comes into force, landlords will only be able to seek possession using the section 8 grounds procedure. The date of commencement has been subject to ongoing parliamentary process.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

If you have received a section 21 notice and your home has disrepair, your disrepair rights remain even if your tenancy is ending. We can advise on your options.

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)

Related articles

• Eviction notice invalid, reasons to challenge
• Retaliatory eviction, what is it and how to stop it