Notice periods to return to pre-COVID lengths in October.

Some good news for Landlord’s who have had issues with Tenants rent during the pandemic!

At the start of September, the UK Government confirmed that notice periods will return to pre-COVID lengths in England from 1 October 2021.

Following the pandemic and the introducing of the Coronavirus Act 2020, the UK Government increased all notices to six months for most grounds (including Section 21 notices), with exemptions for certain serious cases.

Since 1 June 2021 until 30 September 2021 notice periods must be at least four months in most circumstances apart from exemptions for the most serious cases. Notice periods for cases where there are less than four months of unpaid rent, reduced to two months’ notice from 1 August.

From 1 October 2021, notice periods will return to their pre-COVID lengths for both Section 21 & Section 8 notices.

Moving forward, the UK Government intend to retain the power to implement any similar measures again in the future should the public health situation worsen. To this end, legislation has been tabled that retains the ability for the UK Government to reapply longer notice periods until 25 March 2022 as a backstop.

Additionally, the UK Government will update the landlord, tenant and local authority renting guidance and court guidance ahead of 1 October 2021 to reflect that notice periods will be reverting to their pre-COVID lengths. They will also update the prescribed forms to reflect the return to pre-COVID lengths.

If you have experienced issues with rental income during the pandemic, contact us on 0161 511 5339 or complete our contact form to speak to a lettings specialist for a free, no obligation consultation to find out more about our landlord services, including our tenant mediation service.