No Cause Eviction Notice Template for England and Wales

A No Cause Eviction Notice, formally known as a Section 21 notice, is your legal method for ending an assured shorthold tenancy without having to prove any wrongdoing by your tenant. Under the Housing Act 1988, this notice allows you to regain possession of your property, but you must follow precise legal procedures and meet all statutory requirements to ensure its validity.

When do you need this document?

You need a Section 21 notice when you want to end your tenant's assured shorthold tenancy for reasons unrelated to tenant breach. Common situations include wanting to sell your property, move back in yourself, or simply end the tenancy at its natural conclusion. You might also need this notice if you're switching to a different tenant or converting the property to a different use. The notice is particularly useful when your tenant hasn't violated their lease terms but you have legitimate reasons for wanting possession back.

Key legal considerations

Several critical requirements determine whether your Section 21 notice will be legally valid. You must use the prescribed Form 6A and cannot serve the notice within the first four months of the tenancy. The notice must give your tenant at least two months to vacate, and you cannot set an end date earlier than the natural end of a fixed-term tenancy. Your tenant's deposit must be protected in an approved scheme, and you must have provided the prescribed deposit protection information. Additionally, you cannot serve a Section 21 notice if your local authority has served you with an improvement notice or if you're attempting retaliatory eviction following a tenant's legitimate complaint about property conditions.

Legal requirements in England and Wales

England and Wales law imposes strict compliance requirements for Section 21 notices under the Housing Act 1988 and subsequent amendments. You must have provided your tenant with a valid Energy Performance Certificate, current gas safety certificate (if applicable), and the government's "How to Rent" guide before serving the notice. The Deregulation Act 2015 introduced additional protections, including the requirement that you cannot serve a Section 21 notice for six months after your tenant makes a legitimate complaint about property conditions to the local authority. Your tenancy agreement must also comply with the Tenant Fees Act 2019, as any prohibited fee violations can invalidate your notice. The notice period runs from the date you serve it, and you must follow proper service procedures, which typically involve hand delivery, recorded delivery post, or leaving it at the property with an adult resident.