The Property Ombudsman

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a government approved scheme to provide redress in relation to disputes between consumers, looking to rent or buy residential property and estate & letting agents.

The TPO offers a free, fair and independent service for dealing with unresolved disputes between TPO registered agents and those who are buying or renting residential property in the UK. The Ombudsman is completely independent of all estate and letting agents.

Our Membership Number is T02175.

Legal Notices

Ending a Tenancy and Regaining Possession

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced significant changes to the way landlords can regain possession of privately rented properties in England. From 1 May 2026, Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions were abolished and landlords can no longer use a Section 21 notice to end a tenancy.

If a landlord wishes to regain possession of their property, they must have a valid legal reason for doing so. These reasons are known as grounds for possession and are set out in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

Depending on the circumstances, grounds for possession may include:

• ⁠the landlord or a qualifying family member wishing to occupy the property;
• ⁠the landlord intending to sell the property;
• serious or persistent rent arrears;
• breach of the tenancy agreement;
• damage to the property; or
• anti-social behaviour.

Different possession grounds have different legal requirements and notice periods. Some grounds are mandatory, meaning that the court must grant possession where the ground is established, while others are discretionary, meaning that the court will also consider whether it is reasonable to grant possession.

Where possession is required, the appropriate notice will normally be served under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, specifying the ground or grounds being relied upon. The required notice period will depend upon the particular ground and circumstances.

Serving notice does not itself end the tenancy or give the landlord an automatic right to remove the tenant. If the tenant does not leave following expiry of a valid notice, the appropriate legal process must be followed and, where required, a possession order obtained from the court.

We’ll take care of the notices for you

If you choose Letting Solutions to fully manage your property, we will prepare and serve the appropriate statutory notices on your behalf as part of our management service, subject to the circumstances of the tenancy and the applicable legislation at the time.

We understand that possession proceedings and statutory notices can be a daunting prospect for landlords. Our team will guide you through the process, explain the relevant requirements and help ensure that the appropriate notices are served correctly.

There is no additional Letting Solutions administration fee for preparing and serving these notices as part of our fully managed service. Any third-party costs that may become necessary, such as court fees, solicitor’s fees, enforcement costs or specialist legal advice, are not included unless expressly agreed otherwise.