What Replaced Form N5B? The Accelerated Procedure After Section 21

If you've landed here searching for "what replaced Form N5B", the short answer is this: N5B hasn't been formally scrapped, but it's now obsolete for almost every landlord. The accelerated possession procedure it belonged to depended entirely on a Section 21 'no-fault' notice, and Section 21 was abolished from 1 May 2026 by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. A short transitional allowance for notices served before that date existed, but it closed on 31 July 2026. As of today, if you need to start possession proceedings, the accelerated procedure is not an option — you'll be using the standard possession procedure: Form N5 and Form N119, preceded by a Section 8 notice on Form 3A.

This page explains what N5B was, exactly why it's gone, and what landlords now need to file instead. If you're specifically trying to understand how N5B itself worked — for the rare case where you're still inside the closed transitional window and need to check your paperwork — see our separate page on Form N5B: claim form for possession of property (accelerated procedure).

What the accelerated procedure was, and why landlords used it

For years, Form N5B was the fast lane for landlords who had served a valid Section 21 notice. Because Section 21 was a "no-fault" route — the landlord didn't have to give a reason or prove any ground for possession — the accelerated procedure was built to match: no hearing was normally required, the court decided the case on paper, and (crucially) it was not possible to combine an accelerated claim with a money claim for rent arrears. Landlords liked it because it was quicker and cheaper in practice than a defended hearing, and it removed the uncertainty of arguing a ground in front of a judge.

That entire design rested on one precondition: a valid Section 21 notice. Once Section 21 stopped being a route to possession, the accelerated procedure had nothing left to attach to.

The transitional rule — now closed

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 from 1 May 2026, and every assured shorthold tenancy became a periodic assured tenancy on that date. The Act didn't retrospectively invalidate Section 21 notices that had already been correctly served before 1 May 2026 — but it put a hard limit on how long they remained usable.

If a valid Section 21 notice was served before 1 May 2026, court proceedings based on it had to be issued by the earlier of: six months after the notice was served, or 31 July 2026. That 31 July 2026 backstop has now passed. If proceedings weren't issued by then, the Section 21 notice is invalid and cannot be used to start a claim — accelerated or otherwise. Gov.uk guidance is explicit that any attempt to rely on an expired Section 21 notice at this point is likely to be dismissed by the court.

In other words, unless you issued your N5B claim on or before 31 July 2026, that door is now shut. For essentially every possession case from this point on, N5B is not available, full stop.

What replaced it: the standard procedure

The practical replacement is the standard possession procedure that has always existed alongside the accelerated one — it's just now the only route for cases that don't rely on rent arrears or another ground being pursued via money claim rules. It works like this:

1. Serve a Section 8 notice on the current Form 3A. This is the notice seeking possession under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. Note that the old Form 6A was the notice used for Section 21 claims — it cannot be used for new notices and has no role in this process. Form 3A is the only current version.
2. Wait out the notice period specified for whichever ground(s) you're relying on.
3. Issue a claim on Form N5 — the standard possession claim form (not N5B).
4. File Form N119 alongside it — the particulars of claim for rented residential premises, where you set out the facts and the ground(s) you're relying on.

See our pages on Form 3A, Form N5 and Form N119 for the mechanics of each.

What's actually different for landlords

The single biggest change to understand is this: speed and "no reason needed" are gone. The accelerated procedure's whole appeal was that landlords didn't have to state or prove a ground — that was the entire point of Section 21. The standard procedure has no equivalent shortcut. You must specify and be prepared to prove a ground for possession under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act) — for example, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord wanting to sell, or one of the other statutory grounds. Some grounds are mandatory and some are discretionary; discretionary grounds in particular make a hearing far more likely, since the court has to weigh reasonableness rather than simply confirming the paperwork.

Practically, that means: if the tenant defends the claim, or you're relying on a discretionary ground, expect a hearing in front of a judge rather than a paper-only decision. Even where a ground is mandatory (such as substantial rent arrears meeting the threshold), the court still needs the particulars in N119 to be properly evidenced.

Why this matters — cost and time

It's worth being blunt about the trade-off: the standard procedure is, for most landlords, slower and more involved than the old accelerated route was. There's more preparation up front (choosing and evidencing the right ground(s) on Form 3A and then N119), and a materially higher chance of at least one hearing. That's not a drafting quirk — it's the direct consequence of Section 21 disappearing. The "no reason, no hearing" bargain no longer exists in English law for residential possession claims.

That said, it remains the only lawful route to possession now that the transitional N5B window has closed. Landlords shouldn't be tempted to rely on an expired Section 21 notice or attempt an accelerated claim outside the transitional period — gov.uk is explicit that the court is likely to dismiss it, wasting the court fee and losing time versus starting correctly on Form 3A from the outset.

On fees: the possession claim issue fee — whether on N5 or, in the rare remaining transitional case, N5B — is £415 from 13 July 2026 (up from £404). That increase happened for unrelated reasons and is not connected to the Section 21 abolition or the move to the standard procedure; don't read anything into the timing.

For background on the wider reform, see our guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and for the notice you'll need before any standard possession claim, see Section 8 notice to quit.

Disclaimer

This page provides legal information for landlords in England and Wales, not individualised advice for your situation. Tenancy Agreement Service is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If you need advice on a specific possession claim, arrears position, or defended case, you should consult a solicitor or regulated adviser.