Eviction Lawyers

Legal Services for Landlords in England & Wales

We are experts in tenant evictions for landlords, offering a low-cost service. However, this does not mean we compromise on our advice and support. We provide an excellent service which ensures that landlords are able to reclaim their properties as quickly as possible. We can serve fast and effective notices on your tenant, guiding you on all the regulatory issues you have to deal with to serve a valid notice.

Landlord and tenant law is very complex. At NewBold Solicitors, it’s our job to handle these complexities and help you make your property profitable.

Same day action taken.
Fixed fees for evictions, with the same fee earner throughout your case.
Fixed fees for notices start at £50.00 + VAT.
Fixed fee for the court application is £695.00 + VAT.
Our fees are highly competitive compared with many other firms.

Hit the link here for us to call you back today, without any obligation to instruct.

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We cannot provide legal advice during this initial call, but it will give us a chance to get to know you and confirm whether we can help you.

Call us today on 0330 123 1131 | housing@newboldsolicitors.com

SERVING NOTICES

OUR FEES

Common Notices

Compliance check

£150 + VAT

Serving notice

£50 + VAT per occupier

Drafting Complex Notices

Serving notice

Hourly rate £142 - £200 + VAT

Certificate of Service

If this firm does not apply to court for an application

£50 + VAT per occupier

APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER

OUR FEES

Applying to Court

Relying on:
S173 in Wales
S21 in England
Grounds 1-8 of S8 in England

£695 + VAT
Any subsequent hearings charged at our hourly rate of £142 - £200 per hour* £695

Complex Applications

Relying on other grounds

Hearings will be charged at the hourly rate of £142 - £200 plus VAT

*If we have not served the notice, we charge £150 one off fee for a compliance check

APPLICATION FOR A WARRANT

OUR FEES

County Court Bailiff

Applying to Court and engaging with Bailiff

£250 + VAT
VAT (does not include defending any application to suspend a warrant). Excludes court fee.

High Court Sheriff

Completing documentation

£420 + VAT
Excludes court fee.

If additional help and support is required, we will discuss the associated services and fees with you before beginning the process.

Ready to Move Forward?

Clear, fixed-fee legal services from solicitors you can trust.

Possession Notices – Section 173 and Section 8

Whatever your reason for needing to regain possession of your property you may need to serve notice to your tenant either with a Section 173 Notice or a Section 8 Notice. We can help you every step of the way and advise you on the best course of action in your individual circumstances. Sometimes a pre-action letter to a tenant is enough and there is no need to proceed further.

Section 8 Notices

The notice will depend on theA Section 8 Notice is used when tenants have broken the terms of the tenancy, for example;

Rent arrears
Damage to the property
Failing to maintain the property according to the contract.

You are able to give 2 weeks to 2 months’ notice depending on which terms of the agreement they have broken.

Can I serve a Section 21?

Landlords in England can no longer initiate Section 21 evictions, although this is now law, we are currently awaiting the implementation date. As a result, we will consider new Section 21 requests on a case-by-case basis and cannot guarantee the necessary due diligence prior to service. Please note that if you request a Section 21 is drafted during this uncertain period, we will be unable to accept liability for any issues that may arise following service.

Possession Notices – Section 173 and Section 8

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016

This is a complex and ever changing piece of legislation. There are important deadlines to comply with and severe penalties if you fail to do so.

We can guide you through the legislation and make the process less daunting for you. We know that rental can be stressful (especially with the constant changes) and it is our aim to take any stress from you.

SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES, PLEASE CALL OUR TEAM ON 0330 191 5898 OR COMPLETE OUR CONTACT US FORM HERE.

Whatever your reason for needing to regain possession of your property you may need to serve a notice to your tenant. The Renting Home (Wales) Act 2016 has changed the process of evicting tenants in Wales. It has replaced the Section 8 notices with various different notice types, the most common being Section 159, 161, 171, 173, 186, 192 and 194 notices.

Disclaimer*

Please read the following very carefully, if you download any free documents OR, you are given free legal advice:

Whilst we make every effort to provide the very best advice to all clients, we do need documents, pleadings and correspondence, in order to provide specific advice to help our individual clients. When we provide our telephone free advice, we often do not have the opportunity of reviewing any documents/correspondence before giving that advice. For that reason, the advice we provide free over the telephone, or through the advice line, can only be generic and not specific to your individual issues. You should obtain specific advice (for individual issues) before you rely on the advice provided.

With regards any free download documents that we may make available to clients via our website or via email, they will require technical knowledge to complete them correctly. As you have possibly not instructed this firm formally, you are not considered a ‘client’ of this firm. We therefore cannot be held responsible for any incomplete, or incorrect documents served without this firm completing them on the Clients behalf. Some documents change frequently, we may not have changed the documents before you have downloaded them. Therefore, we cannot be held liable for any old documents that are served incorrectly, unless this firm has been formally instructed and this firm has completed them.

Landlords FAQ

What notice should I serve?

The notice will depend on the location of the property and the result you are trying to achieve.

In England the two most commonly used notices are Section 8 notices. The notice period is 2 weeks. There are 18 grounds that will cover any breach of tenancy caused by the tenants actions. The main ones are: ground 8 (serious rent arrears), Grounds IO, 11 that deal with rent arrears, ground 13, if the tenant has damaged the property and ground 14 for nuisance. The other notice is for 2 months, and this is the a non-fault eviction. However, the new Renters Rights Bill 2025 will be changing the grounds in England.

In Wales the notice most commonly used is the RHW20 which deals with breaches of the notice and the other notice is S173 which replaces the former S21. However, the S173 is for 6 months’ notice and not 2 months.

Please note, whatever ground you decide to seek possession under, there are very strict regulatory hurdles you first have to go through to ensure that the notice is valid.

How do I serve a notice?

This is dependent on where in the UK the property is based.

If the property is based in Wales, then you must either serve a RHW20 (breach of contract serious rent arrears), or a S173 notice. Other breaches you need to use the RHW23 notice.

The notices in Wales will rely upon the contract between you and the contract holder and whether you have all the necessary documentation you need in place to serve that notice.

Preparation helps reduce the likelihood of successful challenges from tenants and helps to streamline the process of repossession.

It is also dependent upon whether you have a potential counterclaim (set off) against you for failing to comply with any of the legislative documents.

It is also dependent on your specific requirements (e.g. Do you want to return to live in the property? Do you want to sell the property?). Your requirements will be specific to your own needs.

If the contract holder is more than 2 months in arrears in Wales, you should serve a RHW20, but be careful of setoffs against you, as many contract holders raise last minute claims (e.g. disrepair or failing to register a deposit).

The following are just some of the documents you will need to have in place:

A gas safety certificate that must be in place for the duration of the occupancy
A valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An electrical safety report
You must be registered and hold a licence with Rent Smart Wales.

In addition to this, you must ensure that your property is fit for habitation (outlined in the Renting Homes (Wales) Act) and that any bond has been registered in time and the prescribed information has been served.

Apart from the RHW20, you cannot serve a notice in the fixed term.

In England:

Please note the new Renters Rights Bill will possibly change the following advice:

You can serve a S8 for a breach of the tenancy. The S21 notice will not be available to Landlords once the new act comes into force. Instead, there will be more grounds for a Landlord to rely upon in the new S8 notice.

It will make it a lot harder for Landlord to gain possession of properties in England, so if you need to obtain a possession order, it should be dealt with before the new act comes into force.

The notice period of a Section 8 notice will increase; you will not be able to obtain possession within the first 12 months, without specific grounds (e.g. serious rent arrears, which will increase from 2 months to 3 months’ rent arrears, and if there is repossession).

Again, as per Wales, it is important that all the regulatory matters are attended to before the notice is served. Such regulatory matters include (but are not limited to):

Serving a how to rent guide
Making sure the gas certificates are updated every year
That no improvement notice is outstanding
That the deposit has been registered and the prescribed information has been served.
There is an EPC and an electrical report available that is in date.

Obtaining possession in England and Wales is very challenging and there are many pitfalls along the way. If you are looking to recover possession in England or Wales, it is important that you seek expert advice. We strongly advise you not to rely on the information we have provided because of the speed of change in housing legislation and case law, and the fact that we cannot cover your circumstances (and each landlords circumstance will vary from another). We are happy to discuss how we can help you in our 10-minute free chat, or we can check your documents to ensure you will be compliant, and what is the most appropriate notice for you to serve, in our £150.00 checking service. If we have completed this, our notices will be served for only £50.00 plus vat per tenant.

My tenant has not paid rent – what are my options?

We understand how frustrating this situation can be and how it can impact your finances and, in some cases, your mental health. As landlords ourselves, we are dedicated to recovering rental income as quickly and effectively as possible.

We have an excellent track record in rent recovery and obtaining possession when a tenant (contract holder in Wales) fails to meet their rental obligations.

You can issue a notice for serious rent arrears (S8 in England, RHW20 in Wales). If you already have a judgment order, you can enforce that order against the tenant. Enforcement options include:

A third-party debt order to freeze a bank account
A bailiff or sheriff recovering goods equivalent to the debt
An attachment to the tenant’s earnings
Serving a statutory demand

However, it’s crucial to take a step back and consider whether the tenant has any potential claims they might use to offset the rent owed. Sometimes, exploring alternative options to regain possession may prove more beneficial than focusing solely on serious rent arrears.

Similarly, when considering enforcement options, it’s important to evaluate which approach is appropriate and whether it merits your investment to recover the debt. We adopt a practical and commercial approach, collaborating with you to make informed decisions. We do not proceed with a careless approach to the outcome, we always ensure that we do our very best to obtain the most effective outcome for you.

My tenant has breached our agreement – what can I do now?

Both tenants (contract holders in Wales) and landlords have obligations to uphold. Tenants are required to fulfil their obligations just as much as Landlords, and if they fail to do so, a landlord can serve a notice for possession on them.

This notice effectively grants the tenant a two-week period to rectify the breach. If they do not comply, the landlord may proceed with a possession application.

This application will lead to a court hearing. We can represent you at that hearing, or alternatively, arrange for a qualified professional (such as a barrister) to attend on your behalf.

We have strong connections with barristers’ clerks across England and Wales, enabling us to secure their services at low and cost-effective rates.

If your tenant is in breach of contract there are both discretionary and mandatory grounds for possession. As the name suggests, discretionary grounds allow a judge to decide whether to grant possession or issue a suspended possession order. In contrast, with mandatory grounds (for instance, serious rent arrears), if all other elements are proven, the judge is expected to grant possession.

It is crucial that your notice clearly outlines the issue before you apply to the court. We can assist you in preparing this notice and advise you on whether a notice for breach of contract is the most appropriate course of action.

What is an occupation contract?

Since 1 December 2022, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 has fundamentally changed how properties are rented in Wales. The previous Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements have been replaced by occupation contracts (unless exemptions apply). Therefore, from 2022 onward, landlords are required to provide a written contract to all tenants.

The Welsh government has issued a model occupation contract, but landlords will often need to modify this model to suit their specific needs and those of the contract holder.

The contract includes provisions that cannot be altered, referred to as ‘Key matters’ — these include the names and addresses of the parties, the property address, and the rental amount. Additionally, there are ‘fundamental terms’ which govern the basic functioning of the contract (e.g. how the contract can be terminated).

Furthermore, there are clauses known as ‘supplemental terms’ that address day-to-day issues. These terms must be mutually agreed upon by you and the contract holder and may echo the provisions found in the original AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy).

Lastly, there are ‘additional terms’ which comprise practical arrangements agreed upon between the landlord and the contract holder. These can be added as long as they do not contradict the fundamental or supplemental terms, and they must not include any unfair provisions.

If you find this information overwhelming, we can provide you with an occupation contract tailored to your specific needs, ensuring you don’t have to worry about differentiating between supplemental and additional terms to include in your contract.

Eviction Lawyers

Legal Services for Landlords in England & Wales

Fixed Fee Service For Landlords

Possession Notices – Section 173 and Section 8

Possession Notices – Section 173 and Section 8

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016

Disclaimer*

Landlords FAQ