Form 3A — Notice Seeking Possession of a Property Let on an Assured Tenancy

Form 3A is the notice a private landlord in England must serve on a tenant to begin the process of recovering possession under an assured tenancy or assured agricultural occupancy. Its full official title is "Notice seeking possession of a property let on an assured tenancy or an assured agricultural occupancy in the private rented sector," and it has been the prescribed form since 1 May 2026, when the Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 "no-fault" eviction.

Before that date, landlords had two routes: a no-grounds Section 21 notice (Form 6A) or a grounds-based Section 8 notice. Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 no longer exists for private tenancies, so Form 3A — the Section 8 route — is now the only way a private landlord can start the possession process. There is no fallback "no reason needed" option any more.

What Form 3A is used for

Form 3A tells the tenant, formally and in writing, that the landlord intends to seek possession of the property and sets out which statutory ground or grounds are relied on. Those grounds come from Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025) — for example rent arrears, breach of the tenancy agreement, anti-social behaviour, the landlord's intention to sell, or the landlord or a family member wanting to move in.

Serving Form 3A correctly is a precondition of going to court. It is not itself a court document — it does not get filed anywhere or issued by a court. It is served directly on the tenant (or their agent, depending on the tenancy's service provisions), and it starts the notice period running. Only once that period has expired without the tenant leaving can the landlord move on to actual court proceedings.

When Form 3A is the wrong form

Using Form 3A in the wrong circumstances can waste months and force you to start again, so it's worth being clear about where it does not apply.

• Transitional Section 21 cases. If you validly served a Section 21 notice (Form 6A) before 1 May 2026 and issued a claim on it by the transitional cut-off, that claim continues under the old rules — you don't need to re-serve using Form 3A. That transitional route closed to new claims on 31 July 2026; see our page on what replaced Form N5B. Get advice if you're unsure whether an existing Section 21 notice or claim survives the transition.
• Trespassers and unlawful occupiers. Form 3A is for tenants with an assured tenancy or assured agricultural occupancy. Someone who never had a tenancy agreement, or who overstayed after a licence ended without ever becoming an assured tenant, isn't served with Form 3A — different procedures apply to recovering property from trespassers.
• Properties in Wales. Wales operates under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with its own prescribed notices and terminology ("occupation contracts" rather than assured tenancies). Form 3A is an England-only form.
• Social and other non-private tenancies. Housing association and local authority tenancies, and other tenancy types outside the assured tenancy/assured agricultural occupancy framework, use different notice procedures.
• Where no statutory ground actually applies. Because there's no "no fault" option any more, Form 3A can only be served where a genuine Schedule 2 ground exists and can be evidenced. Serving it speculatively, without a ground you can actually make out, is very likely to fail if it's ever tested in court.

What the form requires

Form 3A asks for the core facts needed to identify the tenancy and justify possession:

• The full address of the let property.
• The name(s) of the tenant(s) being served.
• The ground or grounds relied on, identified by their paragraph number in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988, together with a factual statement of why the landlord is relying on each one (for example, the specific arrears figure and dates for a rent-arrears ground).
• The date by which the landlord will not begin court proceedings before, i.e. the notice period end date, calculated according to whichever ground(s) are cited.
• The date of service and details of who is serving the notice.

The prescribed information sections of the form also generally advise the tenant of their right to seek advice (for example from a Citizens Advice office, a solicitor, or a law centre), reflecting the same kind of guidance that appeared on the old Form 6A.

Common completion pitfalls

The most frequent way landlords come unstuck with Form 3A isn't the form itself — it's how it's used afterwards.

• Grounds mismatch with the later N119. If court proceedings become necessary, the particulars of claim on Form N119 must cite the same ground(s), in the same terms, as the Form 3A that was served. If the notice cited Ground 8 and the arrears figure quoted at N119 stage doesn't match, or an extra ground appears at N119 that was never on the original notice, the claim is exposed to challenge. Keep a copy of the exact wording used on Form 3A and reuse it consistently.
• Getting the notice period wrong. Notice periods are set by the specific ground relied on and are not the same across the board — some grounds allow a short notice period, others require several months. Don't estimate or copy a period from a different ground; check the ground-specific guidance before calculating the expiry date. See our Section 8 grounds for possession hub, which covers individual grounds including serious rent arrears, sale of the property, and severe anti-social behaviour, each with their own notice-period position.
• Serving the old Form 6A by mistake. Form 6A was the Section 21 notice and is void for new notices served from 1 May 2026 onward. Using outdated paperwork, or a version downloaded before the changeover, is a straightforward and avoidable error.
• Serving by a method the tenancy doesn't permit. How and where a notice can validly be served (post, email, hand delivery) usually depends on what the tenancy agreement itself allows. Serving by a method the agreement doesn't cover can undermine an otherwise sound notice.

What happens after Form 3A is served

Once Form 3A has been served, the notice period set out on the form runs its course. If the tenant leaves, or an agreed surrender is reached, no court action is needed. If the tenant remains after the notice period has expired, the landlord's next step — assuming the ground still applies — is to issue court proceedings using Form N5 (the claim form for possession) together with Form N119 (the particulars of claim for possession), which sets out the case in full for the court. Our pages on both forms cover what's needed at that stage.

If you need the notice template itself, rather than guidance on the form, see our Section 8 notice guide, which covers all 37 grounds.

Frequently asked questions

Is Form 3A the same as a Section 21 notice? No — Section 21 was abolished for private tenancies from 1 May 2026. Form 3A is the Section 8 notice and is only valid where a specific Schedule 2 ground is cited and stated on the form.

Can I use Form 3A for a tenancy that started before 1 May 2026? Generally yes, since existing tenancies converted to the new system — the exception is where a Section 21 notice (Form 6A) was already validly served before that date, in which case that notice runs its course under the old rules.

What notice period does Form 3A require? It depends entirely on the ground relied on. Check the specific ground on our Section 8 grounds for possession hub rather than assuming a single standard period.

What happens if the tenant doesn't leave after Form 3A expires? The landlord moves to court proceedings using Form N5 and Form N119.

Does Form 3A apply in Wales? No — Wales has its own regime under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.

Can I write my own grounds wording on Form 3A? Cite each ground by number and keep the wording as close to Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 as possible, and make sure it's repeated consistently if the case later reaches Form N119.

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This page provides legal information, not legal advice. Tenancy Agreement Service is a publisher of legal information and templates; it is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If your situation is contested, involves a vulnerable tenant, or is otherwise complex, get advice from a practising solicitor before relying on any notice or court form.