Published: 15/07/2026 By Robby Ellis
A lot of the conversation around the Renters' Rights Act has focused on 1st May, the date the new tenancy rules came into force. Fewer people are talking about 31st July, which matters as much for anyone who served a section 21 notice before the old system closed. If a landlord served notice before 1st May and hasn't started court proceedings by 31st July, that notice expires automatically, no matter how much time was technically left on it.Once that happens, the tenancy converts to an assured periodic tenancy under the new rules, and the landlord has one month to serve the tenant with the required information sheet. There's no grace period and no way to revive the old notice afterwards. Anyone who served a section 21 notice earlier in the year and assumed there was no rush now has a genuinely hard deadline to work to.
In practice, we're finding a mix of situations. Some landlords served notice, had it accepted, and simply haven't got round to the paperwork with the court. Others assumed the notice itself was enough and didn't realise court proceedings needed to start separately. Neither situation is unusual, and neither is a reason to panic, but both need sorting before the end of the month.
If you're a landlord across Bankside or Shoreditch with an outstanding section 21 notice from earlier this year, the practical step is straightforward: check where things stand with your solicitor or agent now, not in three weeks. If proceedings haven't started, decide quickly whether to proceed or let the tenancy convert, because after 31st July that decision is made for you.
Robby Ellis is associate director and head of lettings at Circa London.
Source: https://www.nrla.org.uk/resources/renters-rights/existing-tenancies-renters-rights-act
