Section 8 notice template (Form 3A) for 2026

The only Section 8 notice template a private landlord in England should use is the current Form 3A, published as a PDF on GOV.UK. Since 1 May 2026 the old Form 3 is the wrong form for private tenancies, so a Word template saved before then is likely to make your notice invalid. Download the form from GOV.UK on the day you prepare your notice, then add the grounds' legal wording, your reasons and the right date.

Where to download the official Section 8 notice template

Go to the GOV.UK page Assured tenancy forms and download Form 3A: Notice seeking possession of a property let on an assured tenancy or an assured agricultural occupancy in the private rented sector. On 25 October 2026 the form is:

• a 10-page PDF, uploaded to GOV.UK on 24 April 2026;
• marked (05.26) and "Housing Act 1988 section 8, as amended" in the footer;
• accompanied by guidance for landlords, guidance for tenants, and the legal wording for possession grounds, which you need for question 4.2.

The rule is that you use the version of Form 3A that has effect on the day you serve. The government can publish a new version at any time, so check the GOV.UK page again just before you serve and compare the version code with your copy.

Watch out: some websites still offer old Form 3 downloads, sometimes as Word files. If the form isn't headed Form 3A and doesn't mention the private rented sector, don't use it.

Why an old Word template is risky

Plenty of landlords keep a Section 8 notice template in Word from a previous eviction. Before 1 May 2026 that would have been Form 3 under the 2015 regulations, which no longer apply to private assured tenancies except for old transitional cases. Using it now causes three problems:

1. It's the wrong form. Form 3 is now for social housing tenancies and pre-May 2026 notices only. For a new private notice it is a defect.
2. It carries the old law. Pre-2026 templates often list Ground 3 (now gone) and Ground 16 (now Ground 5C), give the old Ground 8 thresholds of 8 weeks or 2 months, and tell you the date must fall at the end of a rental period, which is no longer the rule.
3. It can bring a penalty. A document that claims to be a Section 8 notice but doesn't comply with section 8 is a "purported notice of possession". Serving one is a breach that can lead to a council penalty of up to £7,000.

Retyping Form 3A into Word is also risky if you lose any of the wording, notes or pages. GOV.UK says that changing the wording may make the form invalid unless the form says you can.

How to tell if a template is out of date

Check any template against this list before you use it:

Red flag	Why it matters
Headed "Form 3" rather than "Form 3A"	Form 3 is now for social housing and old transitional cases only
Mentions assured shorthold tenancies or section 21 as current options	Section 21 ended for private tenancies on 1 May 2026 and ASTs became periodic assured tenancies
Ground 8 says 8 weeks' or 2 months' arrears	The threshold is now 13 weeks (weekly or fortnightly rent) or 3 months (monthly rent)
Lists Ground 3 or Ground 16	Ground 3 was removed; Ground 16 became mandatory Ground 5C
Says the date must be the last day of a rental period	That rule was repealed on 1 May 2026
No Section 3 telling the tenant you must go to court within 12 months of service	Form 3A includes this as fixed text
No space for full legal wording in question 4.2	Ground names or numbers alone may make the notice invalid
Footer version earlier than (05.26), or no version at all	You can't tell whether it matches the form in force

What you still have to write yourself

Even the official template is only a frame. Three parts decide whether the notice works:

1. Question 2.1, the date. The day after the longest notice period for your grounds ends, counting the day of service as day one. See Section 8 notice periods.
2. Question 4.2, the legal wording. Copy each ground's wording exactly from GOV.UK's legal-wording document.
3. Question 4.3, your explanation. A headed explanation for each ground, with facts and evidence.

This outline helps you structure question 4.3. Replace everything in square brackets with your own facts:

Ground [number]: [name of ground]

What has happened: [the facts, in date order, e.g. rent due and unpaid,
the clause broken, the incident, the sale steps taken]

Key dates and amounts: [e.g. rent of £[amount] due on the [day] of each
month; £[amount] unpaid on [service date]]

Evidence I hold: [e.g. rent schedule, photos, inventory, letters,
estate agent instruction, council or police reference]

What the tenant could do (if relevant): [e.g. pay the arrears,
stop the behaviour, repair the damage]

For a full worked example, see how to fill in Form 3A.

What our builder fills in for you

ValidNotice doesn't give you a blank template. It asks plain-English questions about your tenancy, your tenants and your reason for possession, then produces a completed Form 3A on the current version with:

• every tenant named and the property address set out;
• the date in question 2.1 calculated from your service date and method, with ground time limits checked;
• the full legal wording of each ground in question 4.2;
• a draft explanation for question 4.3 built from your answers, for you to check and edit;
• a cover letter, an evidence checklist and a certificate of service (N215).

You check it, sign it and serve it yourself. If you want a letter to go with it, see our Section 8 cover letter template.

What to do next

Download the current Form 3A from GOV.UK or create a completed one with ValidNotice. Before you serve, run through the common mistakes that make Section 8 notices fail, and use the Section 8 notice guide to plan the steps after service.