Landlord Moving In Notice Template for England and Wales

When you need to reclaim your rental property for personal use in England and Wales, serving a proper Landlord Moving In Notice is essential for legal compliance. This formal document notifies your tenants of your intention to move into the property and provides them with the required notice period to find alternative accommodation.

When do you need this document?

You need a Landlord Moving In Notice when you genuinely intend to occupy your rental property as your primary residence. This situation commonly arises when landlords experience changes in personal circumstances, such as selling their current home, relationship changes, or financial pressures requiring them to move into their investment property. The notice is also necessary when you want to move into a property for retirement or need to relocate for work purposes. However, you cannot use this notice simply to remove tenants to re-let at higher rents or for speculative purposes, as the intention to occupy must be genuine.

Key legal considerations

Several critical legal requirements must be satisfied before serving this notice. You must have protected your tenant's deposit in an approved scheme and provided the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it. All required certificates, including gas safety certificates and Energy Performance Certificates, must be current and properly served. The property must comply with electrical safety standards, and you cannot serve the notice during the first four months of an assured shorthold tenancy. Additionally, you cannot use this notice if you have recently increased rent without following proper procedures or if you are in breach of any landlord obligations. The notice must be served using the correct Form 6A as prescribed by law.

Legal requirements in England and Wales

Under the Housing Act 1988 and subsequent amendments, your notice must provide a minimum of two months' notice and specify an end date that falls on or after the last day of a rental period. The Deregulation Act 2015 requires use of the prescribed Form 6A, and the notice becomes invalid if not properly completed. You must serve the notice correctly, either by hand delivery, recorded delivery post, or leaving it at the property. If possession is disputed, you'll need to prove your genuine intention to occupy the property for at least three months. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 means any prohibited fees charged can invalidate your notice. Remember that retaliatory evictions are prohibited if your tenant has complained about property conditions within the previous six months.