Landlords have been given advance sight of the new tenancy forms they will need to use from 1 May when the Renters’ Rights Act abolishes assured shorthold tenancies and ends Section 21 evictions.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published watermarked draft versions of six new forms covering possession notices, rent increase proposals and tenancy term changes. The final forms will go live on 1 May 2026.
New forms for the RRA era
The most significant document is Form 3A – the updated Section 8 notice seeking possession – which landlords will need to master as the sole route to regain properties once no-fault evictions end.
The government has also published guidance for landlords on completing Form 3A, alongside the full legal wording for each possession ground that must be included in notices.
Other forms cover proposals for new rent levels, changes to tenancy terms arising from succession, and applications to refer disputes to the tribunal. The rent increase form – Form 4A – will be particularly important as landlords adapt to the new tribunal-based rent challenge system.
This follows Residential Landlord’s coverage of the May compliance deadline, with landlords now facing multiple regulatory changes within weeks.
Transitional arrangements for existing notices
For landlords who serve a valid Section 8 or Section 21 notice before 1 May – and it has not expired by that date – the current forms can still be used.
However, the government has confirmed a hard deadline: court proceedings must begin by 31 July 2026 at the latest, even if the notice would otherwise remain valid. After that, any tenancy automatically becomes an assured periodic tenancy and Section 21 is no longer available.
The exception is where a tenant enters a breathing space – either a standard 60-day period or a mental health crisis breathing space – which can extend the deadline for starting proceedings.
The draft forms can be viewed on the gov.uk website, though landlords are warned not to use these watermarked versions for actual notices.
Opinion
Publishing these forms five weeks before they take effect is cutting it fine for landlords who need to understand entirely new processes. The July deadline for existing Section 21 notices creates an unavoidable pressure point – anyone still hoping to use no-fault eviction has just four months to complete court proceedings from today.
