Section 8 cover letter to send with Form 3A

A Section 8 cover letter is a short, factual letter that goes with Form 3A to explain what the notice is, which grounds you rely on and the earliest date you can apply to court. It must not threaten, demand that the tenant leaves by a date, or read as a notice in its own right. Form 3A does the legal work.

What a Section 8 cover letter is for

Form 3A is the prescribed notice seeking possession for private assured tenancies in England. Its first page already tells the tenant they don't have to leave immediately and warns about illegal eviction. A cover letter adds the personal context:

• which grounds you're relying on, in plain words;
• the earliest date you can apply to court (question 2.1 of the form);
• for arrears cases, the current balance and how to pay;
• that you'd still prefer to resolve things without court, if that's true.

Proceedings must start within 12 months of service, so the notice has a limited life. The letter doesn't extend it.

Read our guide to Form 3A for what the notice itself must contain. This template is for England only; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different law.

Section 8 cover letter template

[Your full name]
[Your address in England or Wales for serving notices]
[Your phone number] | [Your email]

[Date]

To: [Full name of every tenant named on the tenancy agreement]
[Property address]

Dear [Tenant names],

Notice seeking possession (Form 3A) – [property address]

With this letter I am serving on you a notice seeking possession
(Form 3A) under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.

The notice relies on the following ground(s):
[Ground number and short name, for example: Ground 8 (serious rent
arrears), Ground 10 (some rent arrears), Ground 11 (persistent delay)]

The full legal wording of each ground, and my reasons, are in sections
4.2 and 4.3 of the notice.

This notice does not end your tenancy, and it does not mean you have
to leave your home on the date in it. It means I cannot apply to the
court for a possession order before [date in question 2.1 of Form 3A].
If I do apply, the court will decide whether to make an order.

[For rent arrears: The rent arrears on [date] are £[amount]. A rent
statement is enclosed. You can pay to [account name], sort code
[sort code], account number [account number], reference
[reference]. If you would like to discuss a repayment plan, please
contact me by [date].]

I would still prefer to resolve this without going to court. You can
contact me on [phone number] or [email].

Section 6 of the notice lists organisations that give free, independent
advice. You may wish to speak to one of them.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]
[Landlord / agent for the landlord]

Enclosed: Form 3A [and rent statement to [date]]

How to fill it in

1. Complete Form 3A first. The letter must match it: the same tenants, the same grounds and the same question 2.1 date.
2. Name the grounds plainly in the letter, but don't paraphrase the legal wording. That goes in full in question 4.2 of the form. GOV.UK warns that if the wording is missing, incomplete or inaccurate, "your notice may be invalid".
3. For arrears, check the threshold. Ground 8 needs at least 3 months' rent unpaid for monthly rent, or 13 weeks' rent for weekly or fortnightly rent, on the day you serve and at the hearing. Rent unpaid only because a Universal Credit housing payment hasn't arrived yet is ignored.
4. Address every tenant. All joint tenants must be named on Form 3A. Give each tenant a copy of the notice and the letter.
5. Include your address for service in England or Wales.

How to serve Form 3A and the cover letter

GOV.UK's Form 3A guidance for landlords:

Situation	How to serve
Your written tenancy agreement sets a method	Follow it
It doesn't	Hand it to the tenant in person (GOV.UK calls this "the most reliable method"), deliver it to the property and put it through the letterbox if the tenant isn't in, or send it by registered post
Email	Only if the written tenancy agreement is clear that email is an agreed method of service

Keep the original and give a copy to each tenant named on the tenancy agreement. Record service by filling in form N215, or by writing "served by [your name] on [the date]" on your copy. Read how to serve a Section 8 notice for more detail.

What never to put in the letter

• "You must leave by [date]." Only a court can end the tenancy. A written document that purports to be a possession notice, or to end the tenancy, but isn't in accordance with section 8 is a "purported notice of possession". Serving one can lead to a civil penalty of up to £7,000.
• A different date from question 2.1, or a new deadline of your own.
• Threats. No threats to change the locks or remove the tenant. Unlawful eviction and harassment are criminal offences, and a council can instead impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000.
• Arrears grounds during a breathing space. If the tenant is in a breathing space, don't serve a notice on Grounds 8, 10 or 11 at all until it ends.

What to do next

• Our Section 8 notice builder helps you pick the grounds, calculates every date and fills in Form 3A, with an evidence checklist and a certificate of service.
• Browse the other landlord letter templates, including the rent arrears letter and payment plan.