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.
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.
Section 8 Ground 16 (former employee): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Ground 16 is the former-employee ground: possession because the home was let in consequence of employment that has since ended. It is discretionary, the notice period is 2 months, it cannot take effect during a fixed term, and most cases turn on whether the let was genuinely tied to the job and on the reasonableness test. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with a request-for-particulars letter.
Section 8 Ground 7A (mandatory serious anti-social behaviour): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Ground 7A is the mandatory anti-social behaviour ground. If the threshold is met the judge has no discretion. But the threshold needs a relevant conviction — not an allegation, not a caution, not a community resolution. Spent convictions, conditional discharges, pending appeals and the 12-month notice window all attack the conviction limb. Plus the Article 8 / Equality Act overlay for vulnerable tenants. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with templates.
Section 8 Ground 15 (deterioration of furniture): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Ground 15 is the furniture ground — possession because furniture provided with a furnished tenancy has deteriorated through the tenant's or a household member's conduct. It only operates against furnished tenancies, the notice period is 4 weeks, the lodger and sub-tenant carve-out is real, and most cases turn on the wear-and-tear vs damage line and on whether the landlord can produce a competent inventory. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with the particulars-request letter and a worked wear-and-tear schedule.
Section 8 Grounds 10 and 11 (discretionary rent arrears): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Grounds 10 and 11 are the discretionary partners to Ground 8. They give the landlord a backstop when arrears fall below the mandatory threshold or when the pattern is late payment rather than non-payment. They are also the grounds where a careful tenant defence — bringing arrears down, pleading a suspended order on terms, evidencing housing-benefit cycles — most often defeats possession. Plain English walkthrough with templates.
Section 8 Ground 17 (false statement induced tenancy): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Ground 17 is the false-statement ground — possession because the tenancy itself was induced by something the tenant said or wrote that was not true. It only bites the original tenant, the notice period is short, and most cases turn on materiality and reasonableness rather than the bare statement. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with a particulars-request letter you can send in week one.
Section 8 Ground 13 (deterioration of the dwelling): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Ground 13 is the deterioration ground — possession for damage caused by the tenant or someone living in the property. It is discretionary, the fair-wear-and-tear doctrine quietly defeats most claims, and a landlord cannot rely on their own disrepair. Here is the plain-English walkthrough with a particulars-request letter you can send in week one.
Equality Act 2010 s.15: the disability discrimination defence to possession (tenant walkthrough, 2026)
Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010 is one of the most underused defences in housing law. It runs alongside any Section 8 ground — mandatory or discretionary — and forces the landlord to justify possession as a proportionate means of a legitimate aim. Here is the plain-English walkthrough, with a paragraph you can paste straight into your N11 defence.