header-logo header-logo

07 March 2014 / Mathew McDermott
Issue: 7597 / Categories: Features , Property
printer mail-detail

Dispelling the s 21 myths

web_mcdermott

A recent Court of Appeal ruling provides important clarification on the validity of s 21 notices, as Mathew McDermott reports

Sometimes, albeit rarely, certain legal phrases and concepts filter their way down into the awareness of the general public. One that seems to have done so successfully is “the s 21 notice”—the notice, emanating from s 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (HA 1988), that you use when seeking possession of a dwelling that was let on an assured shorthold tenancy.

What “everyone” knows about these s 21 notices is that they involve giving the tenant two months’ notice in writing to leave the property before you take formal possession proceedings. A further well understood aspect of s 21 notices is that they come in two forms depending on whether or not the tenancy is in its fixed term or, this having expired, has entered a periodic term.

If you serve the notice during the fixed term the requirements are not as demanding: two months’ notice in writing. This is in s

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

Shakespeare Martineau—Serena Eddy

Shakespeare Martineau—Serena Eddy

London restructuring team strengthened by legal director appointment

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
back-to-top-scroll