Accelerated possession after Section 21 was abolished

Accelerated possession was the quicker, paper-based court route landlords used after a section 21 notice, on form N5B. Section 21 was abolished for private landlords in England on 1 May 2026, so you can now use accelerated possession only for an old notice that falls within the transitional rules. Any new claim on a Section 8 notice uses the standard procedure: Form N5 and Form N119, a £415 fee and a hearing.

What accelerated possession was

Under the accelerated procedure (CPR 55.11 to 55.19, which are unchanged), the landlord filed form N5B. The tenant had 14 days to file a defence, and a judge decided the claim on paper unless a hearing was needed. No ground had to be proved, because section 21 was "no-fault".

The current N5B is version 05.26 (file N5B_ENGLAND_0526_save.pdf), and GOV.UK updated its details in August 2026. Its normal use is now limited to private registered providers of social housing, whose tenancies have not yet moved to the new regime.

Can private landlords still use accelerated possession?

Only in transitional cases. GOV.UK's N5B page and its evicting-tenants guide describe two.

1. A claim started on time on a pre-May 2026 notice

You served a valid notice before 1 May 2026 (GOV.UK refers to section 21, and also to section 8), it was still valid at 11:59pm on 30 April 2026, and you applied to court before the notice expired or before 1 August 2026, whichever was earlier. If that claim hasn't concluded, it carries on. The notice stays valid until the proceedings end.

For a section 21 notice, the deadline to ask the court to issue was the earlier of:

• 6 months from the date the notice was given (or, for a notice that had to give more than 2 months, 4 months from the date in the notice); or
• 31 July 2026.

GOV.UK says: "The court process cannot be started after 31 July 2026, even if the notice would otherwise still be valid."

2. A rent arrears notice delayed by a Breathing Space

You served a valid rent arrears Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026, but couldn't apply before 1 August 2026 because the tenant was in a debt respite Breathing Space. You then have 8 weeks from the end of the breathing space to apply. See Breathing Space and rent arrears.

Which route applies to you?

Your situation	Route
Accelerated claim issued before 1 August 2026, not yet decided	Carry on with the existing N5B claim
Pre-May 2026 section 21 notice, no claim issued by 31 July 2026	The notice has lapsed. Serve a new Section 8 notice
Pre-May 2026 rent arrears notice, claim blocked by a breathing space	Apply within 8 weeks of the breathing space ending
Any new notice served from 1 May 2026	Standard claim: N5 + N119
You are a private registered provider of social housing	N5B in the normal way

If your section 21 notice has lapsed

A lapsed section 21 notice can't be revived. The tenancy is now an assured periodic tenancy, and you can only end it with a possession order on a ground in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. A landlord's notice to quit no longer ends an assured tenancy.

The usual next steps:

1. Choose your ground. For example Ground 1A if you are selling, Ground 1 if you or a close family member are moving in, or Grounds 8, 10 and 11 for rent arrears. Grounds 1 and 1A need 4 months' notice and can't be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy.
2. Serve Form 3A. Since 1 May 2026, private landlords must use Form 3A, not the old Form 3.
3. Check the deposit. A deposit-protection bar now applies to Section 8 possession orders, except on Grounds 7A and 14.
4. Issue a standard claim once the notice period has ended.

For the differences between the two old routes, see section 21 vs section 8, and for how the new rules apply to older tenancies, Section 8 for existing tenancies.

Standard procedure compared with accelerated possession

	Accelerated (N5B)	Standard (N5 + N119)
Who can use it now	Social landlords, and private landlords in transitional cases	All new private landlord claims
Grounds	None needed for section 21	You must prove a Schedule 2 ground
Hearing	Usually decided on paper	A hearing, fixed on issue
Court fee from 13 July 2026	£415	£415
Median claim to order (April to June 2026)	6.7 weeks	8.0 weeks (private landlords)
Median claim to repossession	27.6 weeks	24.6 weeks (private landlords)

The figures are provisional Ministry of Justice statistics for April to June 2026. In that quarter, the median from claim to repossession was shorter for private landlords' standard claims than for accelerated claims. A standard claim does need more preparation: a ground, evidence, and for arrears a 2-year rent schedule.

Mistakes to avoid

• Filing N5B for a new claim. After 31 July 2026, a private landlord needs a new Form 3A notice and an N5 + N119 claim.
• Serving a section 21 notice now. It has no effect for a private tenancy.
• Using the old Form 3 for a new private notice. It is now for social housing and old transitional cases only.
• Using pre-May 2026 court forms. Law firms warn they risk being returned unissued.

This page covers England only. Wales has its own system under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.

What to do next

If your section 21 route has closed, start with a Section 8 notice. When it expires and the tenant stays, the possession court pack prepares N5, N119 and the rent schedule from your answers for you to sign and file. For the whole court process, see possession claims, and for background on the old notice, section 21 notices.