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Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
Section 8 Ground 6 (demolition or reconstruction) tenant defence walkthrough 2026
Ground 6 lets a landlord seek possession to demolish or substantially reconstruct the property. It is mandatory, so it carries strict conditions that a tenant can test, plus a built-in entitlement to removal expenses. This walkthrough is the tenant-side defence: the conditions the landlord must meet, the alternatives a landlord must rule out, and a request-for-particulars letter you can adapt.
Section 8 Ground 9 (suitable alternative accommodation) tenant defence walkthrough 2026
Ground 9 lets a landlord seek possession by offering you suitable alternative accommodation. It is discretionary, the burden is on the landlord, and the court can refuse it even where alternative accommodation exists. This walkthrough is the tenant-side defence: how suitability is tested, where the offer usually falls down, and a rebuttal schedule plus request-for-particulars letter you can adapt.
Mislabelled as a lodger: tenant status walkthrough 2026
Some landlords write 'lodger agreement' on a document and assume that settles the question. It does not. Whether you are a lodger (excluded licensee) or a tenant (with full statutory protection) is a question of legal substance, not the label on the page. If the landlord does not actually live in the property, you are very probably an assured tenant whatever the agreement calls you. Here is the tenant walkthrough, with an assert-status letter template.
Landlord access without 24-hour notice: tenant refusal walkthrough 2026
Your landlord owns the bricks, but you have exclusive possession of the home. They cannot turn up unannounced, let themselves in with their key, or send agents and contractors round without your permission. This walkthrough is the tenant-side procedural instrument for refusing landlord access without proper notice, with statutory references and a cease-and-desist letter template you can adapt.
Section 8 notice: tenant procedural defects checklist 2026
Before you fight a Section 8 case on the merits of the ground, check whether the notice itself is procedurally valid. A defective Form 3 can kill the claim before a court ever reaches the substance. This walkthrough is the tenant-side procedural checklist: form, content, grounds, notice periods, particulars and service, with a request-for-particulars letter you can adapt.
RRO for a banning order breach: tenant claim guide 2026
A banning order stops a landlord letting property. If they let to you anyway, that breach is a qualifying offence for a rent repayment order, and from 1 May 2026 the ceiling rose to 24 months' rent. You can claim even if you were not the tenant when the order was breached, and continuing to let after a council penalty is itself an offence. Here is the tenant claim walkthrough, with a First-tier Tribunal application template.
Refused for benefits or children: tenant complaint guide 2026
From 1 May 2026 a landlord or agent cannot refuse you a tenancy, or make it harder to rent, because you claim benefits or have children. That includes blanket no DSS adverts, hiding availability, or blocking viewings. Councils must enforce it, with fines and rent repayment orders. Here is how to recognise it, capture the evidence, and complain, with a council and ombudsman template.
Landlord not on the PRS Database: tenant walkthrough (2026)
The Renters' Rights Act creates a Private Rented Sector Database every private landlord and property in England must be on. An unregistered landlord cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice, cannot lawfully market the property, and exposes themselves to a rent repayment order of up to 24 months. Here is how to check the database, what non-registration means for a tenant, and how to report it, with a council-report template.
Deposit not protected: the 1-3x counterclaim during possession (2026)
If your landlord never protected your deposit, or never served the prescribed information, you can claim a penalty of 1 to 3 times the deposit. Raised as a counterclaim inside a rent-arrears possession claim, that penalty can be set off against the arrears, which on a Ground 8 case can pull the debt below the mandatory threshold. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with a counterclaim paragraph and a worked set-off calculation.
How to suspend or postpone a possession order: tenant walkthrough (2026)
If a possession order has been made, or you expect one, the court has powers to postpone the date, suspend the order or vary its terms. There are real limits: 14 days as standard, up to 6 weeks on exceptional hardship, and the powers do not apply to mandatory grounds like Ground 8. The single biggest mistake is leaving it too late. Here is the walkthrough with an N244 grounds paragraph and a worked exceptional-hardship statement.