Serving a notice is actually the most important part of the possession process. You can’t do anything until it’s served.

It isn’t complicated but one tiny error can cause dreadful problems.

That’s why we say, don’t DIY and don’t use internet amateurs. It’s not worth it.

1. Compliance Errors
If the tenant doesn’t leave at Step1, the notice had better be valid. Because then it has to go to court. Any little error can get a case thrown out. And you have to start all over again.

2. Attempting Short-Cuts.
In an effort to be quick, some internet services aimed at landlords are using short-cuts around the process. But if the tenant doesn’t leave (50%) these practices can backfire at court and the case thrown out.

3. Trying to Save Pennies.
Internet services have mushroomed and landlords can expect to get what they pay for. To get the process done PROPERLY it takes a certain amount of time for an expert to look over a file and be accurate. Our fees cover that expert time.

We will always advise you after looking at your case. In many cases we will serve both Section 8 and Section 21 notices at Step1 and then act with the one that’s going to work best as circumstances change later. Here are some key factors we would look at:

If the tenant has done nothing wrong, you can only use Section 21. Section 8 is not an option.

If the tenant is persistently late with rent or owes more than two months rent, or has breached the tenancy in another way, you can use Section 8. Sometimes even if the tenant has breached the tenancy, you might still be better off using Section 21, because possession is mandatory and it’s very difficult for the tenant to cause any delay in proceedings.

If the tenancy agreement still has several months to run, but you want possession now, you would use Section 8 as long as the tenant has breached the agreement.