Return to pre-pandemic residential possession notice periods

With the world slowly returning to some sort of normality, the extra regulations which have been imposed on landlords in respect of residential possession are starting to fall away.

The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Residential Tenancies and Notices) (Amendment and Suspension) (England) Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/994) were laid before Parliament on 8 September 2021 and, with effect from 1 October 2021, the notice period that must be given in notices seeking possession of residential properties in England reverts to the pre-pandemic notice period.

Whilst this is good news, landlords should be careful to use the up to date section 8 and section 21 notices which will be introduced on 1 October 2021.  If they do not, then those notices may be deemed invalid later down the line.

The government have, however, extended the “relevant period” in the Coronavirus Act 2020 to 25 March 2022.  Therefore, the government will retain its emergency powers to impose longer notice periods until 25 March 2022, meaning landlords are not out of the woods just yet!