The Renters’ Rights Act is enforceable. Periodic tenancies, Section 8 grounds, and the work that needs doing this month.
Thirty-one days ago we said it was coming. As of 1st May, it’s here. Section 21 is abolished. Every assured shorthold tenancy in England is now periodic. Every “no-fault” possession route a landlord used yesterday is closed today.
I’ve spent the last four weeks fielding panicked phone calls. Most of them shouldn’t have been panicked. The landlords who genuinely should worry are the ones who never updated their tenancy agreements, never registered deposits properly, and never bothered to learn the new Section 8 grounds. If that’s you, you’ve got real work to do this month. If it isn’t, you’ve probably got less to fix than the headlines suggest.
This issue is structured around three things. First: what actually changed legally, in plain English, with the new Section 8 grounds laid out. Second: a real BTL deal that still works under the new rules — because they all do, if the property cash flows and the tenant pays. Third: the reader question I’ve been asked most often this month — what do I do with a tenant who’s stopped paying.
The world didn’t end on the 1st. Your properties still rent. Your tenants still pay. The route to possession when you need it is longer and slower, but it exists. Update your paperwork, learn the new grounds, get on with it.
An RRA-tested deal. Same property, same tenant, same rent — but a different tenancy agreement. The new periodic-only structure means no fixed renewal cycle, no renewal fees from the agent, no automatic Section 21 path at month six. What you lose in flexibility you gain in lower management cost: most letting agents are dropping renewal fees because there’s nothing to renew.
The cash flow math: £750 rent minus £383 mortgage (5.4%, 75% LTV, 25-year term, current commercial rate) minus £75 management (10%) minus £60 maintenance allowance (8%) minus £38 void allowance (5%) minus £15 insurance, plus £15 saved on RRA-removed renewal admin = £164. Real money, every month.
Hillsborough is a steady BTL postcode with consistent tenant demand from Sheffield Hallam University staff and young professionals. Days on market: 18. Capital growth last 12 months: 3.4%.
David, you’ve got more options than you think — and you need to act this week, not next month. Three months of arrears is the threshold where Ground 8 becomes available, and Ground 8 is mandatory: if the rent is two months in arrears at the date of the hearing AND at the date the notice was served, the court must order possession.
Step one: serve a Section 8 notice citing Grounds 8, 10, and 11 (the rent-arrears trio). Ground 8 is the mandatory one; 10 and 11 are discretionary backups. Two weeks’ notice period for Ground 8. Step two: if no response, issue proceedings in the County Court. Court fee £355. Step three: hearing typically 8–12 weeks after issue. Step four: if granted, possession order, then if needed, bailiffs.
End-to-end timeline realistically: 4–6 months from where you are today. Meanwhile, your tenant is accruing rent debt you may never recover. The harder question: would you accept a payment plan now and let them stay? If they’re otherwise decent, a written agreed plan over 18 months may be cheaper than possession proceedings plus six months of voids and re-let costs.
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