The UK Government has today confirmed to Propertymark 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.

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.