Notice periods return to pre-COVID lengths from 1 October

Ministers have confirmed that notice periods for both Section 21 and Section 8 notices will revert back to two months for most types of eviction from 1st October onwards.

Restrictions on evictions were introduced at the beginning of the first national lockdown in England. The emergency measures formed part of the Coronavirus Act 2020 that required landlords to provide longer notice periods when seeking possession of a residential property. These will now come to an end on 30 September 2021.

“While these measures were appropriate at the height of the pandemic, these restrictions could only ever be temporary,” a ministry of housing statement says.

“Returning notice periods to their pre-COVID lengths from 1 October will allow landlords to repossess their property where necessary. However, we intend to retain the power to implement these measures again in the case that the public health situation worsens and these measures are required again.”