Section 8 Ground Finder: Which Grounds May Apply
Answer a few questions about why you're seeking possession and your tenancy's start date to see which Section 8 grounds may be relevant, their notice period and whether they're mandatory or discretionary.
The short answer
This tool lists which Section 8 grounds for possession may be relevant to your situation, their notice period, and whether each is mandatory or discretionary — it never tells you a notice or claim is valid. Section 8 is now the only route to possession of an assured tenancy in England; picking the wrong ground, or the wrong notice period, is one of the most common reasons a claim fails.
Grounds that may be relevant
Answer the questions to see which Section 8 grounds may be relevant.
How this tool works
Answer why you're seeking possession, and — for an arrears situation — how much is owed and how often rent is due. For Ground 1 (moving in) or Ground 1A (selling), enter the tenancy start date so the tool can check gov.uk's 12-month rule: neither ground can be relied on in a tenancy's first 12 months, and the tool flags this and works out the earliest date it could apply, plus the earliest possible court-claim date once the 4 months’ notice period is added on top. Every notice period, ground number and mandatory/discretionary label comes from gov.uk's published grounds-for-possession guidance — the same table that sits behind our full grounds page.
What this tool is — and isn't
It's a starting point for working out which part of gov.uk's guidance to read next, based on a plain-English description of your situation. It is not a substitute for reading the actual ground wording on Form 3A's companion legal-wording document, and it cannot check facts that decide whether a ground genuinely applies — whether a sale is genuine, whether arrears are due to a Universal Credit delay, whether prior notice was given for a ground that requires it, or whether every other prerequisite (deposit protection, licensing, gas safety, right to rent) is in order. None of that can be answered from a short questionnaire, and a court decides possession claims on the full facts, not on what a website tool outputs. If more than one ground looks relevant, most landlords plead the strongest ground available together with a fallback discretionary ground, which is a decision worth taking advice on rather than making alone.
Related pages
See how to serve a section 8 notice once you know which ground applies, the rent-arrears threshold for more on Ground 8 and its Universal Credit exception, and no-fault eviction, explained for the full detail on Grounds 1 and 1A and the penalties for misusing them.
read 12 September 2026: Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents (GOV.UK) · Grounds for possession: guidance for tenants (GOV.UK) · Assured tenancy forms, including Form 3A (GOV.UK)
Quick answers
No, and it deliberately doesn't. It lists grounds that may be relevant to the situation you describe, with their notice period and type, drawn from gov.uk's published guidance. Whether a specific notice or claim is actually valid depends on facts and paperwork this tool cannot see — take advice.
No. gov.uk states plainly that a landlord cannot ask a tenant to leave for either reason within the tenancy's first 12 months. Enter the tenancy start date and the tool will work out the earliest date the ground could be used, plus the notice on top.
It's common for landlords to plead a mandatory ground alongside a discretionary fallback — for example Ground 8 alongside Ground 10 on an arrears case. This tool shows both where relevant, but which to actually plead, and how, is worth taking advice on.
No. It's a general information tool based on gov.uk's published grounds and notice periods. It cannot assess your specific tenancy, paperwork or defences — for an actual notice or claim, get advice from a solicitor, Shelter or your local council's housing team.
gov.uk's grounds-for-possession guidance for landlords and letting agents, cross-checked against the tenant-facing version of the same guidance and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 itself — the same source used throughout this site's Renters’ Rights Act coverage.
Sources
The primary documents this page is built from. Links checked 5 September 2026.
- Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents — GOV.UK / MHCLG
- Grounds for possession: guidance for tenants — GOV.UK / MHCLG
- Assured tenancy forms (including Form 4A) — GOV.UK / MHCLG
- Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation — GOV.UK / MHCLG