A Notice to Quit is a formal written notice served by either a landlord on a tenant, or by a tenant on a landlord, to bring a periodic tenancy to an end. In England and Wales, the legal framework governing notices to quit is primarily set out in the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, supplemented by the Housing Act 1988 and the common law rules that apply to periodic tenancies. A Notice to Quit is the legally required first step in the process of ending a periodic tenancy, and without a valid notice, neither the landlord nor the tenant can unilaterally terminate the tenancy.

It is essential to understand the distinction between a Notice to Quit and other types of landlord notice used in England and Wales. A Notice to Quit is used to end a periodic tenancy — either a common law periodic tenancy (such as a company let or a tenancy at a rent exceeding £100,000 per annum, which falls outside the Housing Act 1988), or a statutory periodic tenancy that arises automatically when a fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy (AST) expires without renewal. Before the commencement of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (expected on 1 May 2026), landlords wishing to end a statutory periodic AST on a no-fault basis typically served a Section 21 notice rather than a Notice to Quit. After 1 May 2026, Section 21 is abolished, and landlords must rely on Section 8 grounds for all possession claims.

The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 sets the minimum notice requirements for residential tenancies in England and Wales. Section 5 of the Act requires that a valid Notice to Quit in respect of a residential property must be in writing, must specify the date upon which the tenancy is to end, must give at least four weeks' notice (or, for monthly tenancies, at least one complete month's notice expiring on the last day of a complete rent period), and must contain the prescribed information set out in the Notices to Quit (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1988. The prescribed information advises the tenant of their legal rights, including their right to remain in the property until the landlord obtains a court order for possession.

For tenants giving notice, the common law rule is that notice must be at least one complete rental period in length and must expire on the last day of a rental period (or the first day of the next period, depending on the wording of the tenancy agreement). This means that for a monthly tenancy starting on the first of the month, a tenant wishing to leave must give notice to expire on the last day of a calendar month, and the notice must be given sufficiently far in advance to cover at least one complete month's notice.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025, once fully in force from 1 May 2026, will convert all existing assured shorthold tenancies in England to assured periodic tenancies and abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions. From that date, landlords will be required to cite one of the statutory grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 (as amended) and serve a Section 8 notice, rather than a Notice to Quit, to recover possession. The 2025 Act introduces new mandatory grounds for possession, including grounds for landlord occupation and sale, and increases the minimum notice periods for certain grounds.

A Notice to Quit is needed in England and Wales in the following main circumstances.

For landlords, a Notice to Quit is appropriate when the tenancy is a common law periodic tenancy (not an AST governed by the Housing Act 1988) and the landlord wishes to end the tenancy. This includes company lets (where the tenant is a company rather than an individual), tenancies at an annual rent exceeding £100,000, and holiday lets. For these tenancies, Section 21 and Section 8 do not apply, and a common law Notice to Quit is the correct mechanism. A Notice to Quit is also appropriate for excluded tenancies and excluded licences — for example, where a lodger shares a home with the landlord and the lodger's occupation falls within the excluded tenancy provisions of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, in which case the landlord is not required to seek a court order and need only give reasonable notice.

For tenants, a Notice to Quit is the standard mechanism for ending a periodic tenancy in England and Wales. Whether the tenancy is a statutory periodic AST (arising after a fixed-term AST expires), a contractual periodic tenancy (created from the outset as a rolling tenancy), or a common law periodic tenancy, the tenant must give at least one complete rental period's notice in writing to bring the tenancy to an end. Without a valid notice, the tenant remains liable for rent and other obligations under the tenancy, even if they have vacated the property.

A Notice to Quit is also needed when a fixed-term tenancy has expired and the tenancy has rolled over into a statutory periodic tenancy, and the landlord or tenant wishes to bring the periodic tenancy to a close. Until the Renters' Rights Act 2025 takes effect on 1 May 2026, landlords seeking no-fault possession of a statutory periodic AST should use a Section 21 notice (Form 6A) rather than a Notice to Quit; after 1 May 2026, this distinction will cease to apply since Section 21 is abolished.

Landlords should note that a Notice to Quit does not itself entitle them to re-enter the property or to evict the tenant. Even after the notice period has expired, the landlord must apply to the county court for a possession order. It is a criminal offence under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to evict a residential occupier without a court order or to harass them. For excluded tenancies and excluded licences, a court order is not required but the landlord must still give proper notice before terminating the arrangement.

For landlords considering serving a Section 8 notice (citing grounds such as rent arrears under Ground 8), the document required is a Section 8 Notice rather than a Notice to Quit. However, a Notice to Quit may be served alongside or following a Section 8 notice to confirm the tenancy has been formally terminated at the end of the notice period if the tenant does not vacate voluntarily.

A valid Notice to Quit for a residential tenancy in England and Wales must include the following elements, as required by section 5 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and the Notices to Quit (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1988.

1. Written form: The notice must be in writing. An oral notice to quit is not legally valid for a residential tenancy under section 5 of the 1977 Act.

2. Minimum notice period: The notice must give at least four weeks' notice. For monthly tenancies, the notice period must be at least one complete calendar month. For weekly tenancies, the notice must be at least four weeks. Longer notice periods may be required by the tenancy agreement itself — for example, two months' notice for a Section 21 notice under the Housing Act 1988 — but a Notice to Quit for common law tenancies and excluded tenancies requires a minimum of four weeks.

3. Expiry date: The notice must specify the date on which the tenancy is to end. For periodic tenancies, this date must be the last day of a complete rental period — for example, if rent is paid on the first of each month, the notice must expire on the last day of a month. The notice must expire on a date that is at least the minimum notice period after the date of service.

4. Prescribed information: The Notices to Quit (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1988 require a Notice to Quit in respect of residential premises to include specified information about the tenant's rights. This includes: information about the tenant's right to remain in the property until the landlord obtains a court order for possession; information about the tenant's right to apply to the court to have the notice set aside if it is invalid; and information about where the tenant can seek legal advice. The prescribed information must be included in or attached to the notice.

5. Property description: The notice must identify the property to which it relates, typically by its full postal address.

6. Parties: The notice must identify the party serving it and the party on whom it is served.

7. Method of service: The method of service should be recorded. For residential premises, service by first class post to the property address is generally accepted as valid. Service by hand delivery provides the most certainty as to the date of service. Email service may be valid if the tenancy agreement expressly permits it.

8. Renters' Rights Act 2025 compliance: From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 will fundamentally alter the landscape for landlords in England. Section 21 no-fault evictions will be abolished and all ASTs will be converted to assured periodic tenancies. Landlords should check current legal requirements at the time of serving any notice, and take specialist advice where needed.

This template has been drafted to comply with the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, the Notices to Quit (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1988, the Housing Act 1988, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 as applicable.