Your landlord messages to say they're "doing the place up" next year. New kitchen, new bathroom, maybe knocking through a wall. Then comes the line you were dreading. You'll need to move out while the work happens, and they'll be re-letting it afterwards at a higher rent.
Since 1 May 2026, a private landlord in England can no longer end your tenancy with a Section 21 notice. A landlord who wants you out to renovate has to use Ground 6, the redevelopment ground, and prove it in court. That is a higher bar than many landlords expect, and a lot of it turns on whether the work could be done with you still living there.
What is Ground 6 redevelopment and who can use it?
Ground 6 is one of the possession grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988. It lets a landlord recover the home if they intend to demolish or reconstruct all or a substantial part of it, or carry out substantial works, and the work cannot reasonably be done without you leaving.
Ground 6 is a mandatory ground. If the landlord proves it, the court must order possession. So any defence turns on the facts, and the court cannot refuse possession because it seems harsh. Our guide to Section 8 notice grounds sets out the other grounds a landlord might use.
A private landlord who bought the property with you already living there can use Ground 6 too. Ground 6 cannot be used at all, though, if your assured tenancy came about by succeeding to an older Rent Act or Rent (Agriculture) Act tenancy.
What is the Ground 6 notice period?
Your landlord has to serve a Section 8 notice giving at least 4 months' notice before they can go to court. Your tenancy must also have started at least 6 months before the date the notice says court action can start. A landlord can serve the notice earlier in the tenancy if they give a longer notice period, so that court action cannot start before the tenancy is 6 months old.
What counts as substantial works under Ground 6?
The Act does not list the works that qualify, only "substantial works" to the home or the building it is in. Redecorating or replacing carpets is unlikely to meet that test on its own. Rewiring the whole house, underpinning, a structural conversion or a full strip-out are more likely to. Several jobs done together may add up to substantial works even where none would alone.
The landlord also has to show they intend to do the work. A vague plan to "modernise at some point" is weak. Firm plans, quotes from contractors, planning permission or building control approval where the work needs it, and a timetable all make the intention look real.
Can a landlord renovate with the tenant still living there?
This is where you have the most room to push back. The landlord has to show the work cannot reasonably be done with you in the home, for one of four reasons set out in the ground:
- You won't agree to a change to your tenancy that gives the access and facilities the work needs.
- The work makes that kind of change impractical.
- You won't accept a new tenancy of only part of the home, leaving the landlord the rest.
- The work makes a part-tenancy impractical too.
Two of those four depend on you refusing something. If you offer, in writing, to give the builders the access they need, including clearing rooms in turn while each is worked on, the landlord can no longer rely on your refusal. They then have to show the work itself rules out you staying. Be careful with the third option. A tenancy of the smaller part can mean giving up the rest of the home for good.
Private renters lost Ground 6 removal expenses in May 2026
Before May 2026, a landlord who won possession on Ground 6 had to pay the tenant's reasonable removal expenses. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 narrowed section 11 of the Housing Act 1988, so if you rent from a private landlord and the notice was served on or after 1 May 2026, they do not have to pay your moving costs. If it was served before 1 May 2026 and the landlord applied to court within the notice's time limit, and no later than 31 July 2026, the old rules still apply to that claim, and the landlord must pay if it wins.
Housing association tenants in social housing are in a different position. The government expects the Renters' Rights Act tenancy changes to reach them in 2027, and until then the old Ground 6 rules still apply to them. That means the old notice periods apply instead of 4 months, the 6-month rule does not apply, and the landlord must still pay removal expenses.
Can a landlord re-let after a Ground 6 eviction?
There is no fixed period during which the landlord is banned from re-letting. The 12-month no-let rule applies to the moving-in and selling grounds, Grounds 1 and 1A, not to Ground 6. Our guide to eviction for a sale under Ground 1A covers that rule.
Your protection against a sham renovation is that the landlord has to prove, in court, both the intention and the need for you to leave. If the landlord gets a possession order by misleading the court, section 12 of the Housing Act 1988 lets the court order them to pay you compensation. So if the "renovation" turns out to be a lick of paint and a new tenant at a higher rent, keep the listing, the dates and any messages. Separately, if you move out without a court order within 4 months of the landlord relying on the ground, a landlord who knew they could not prove it, or did not care whether they could, can be fined or prosecuted under section 16J.
How to respond to a Ground 6 notice
Start with the dates. Check that the notice gives at least 4 months and that your tenancy will be at least 6 months old by the date it names. A notice that gets either wrong is defective, and you can rely on that in your defence. The court can still let the claim go ahead if it decides that would be fair, so never ignore court papers.
Then ask your landlord, in writing, for the evidence behind the plan:
- The plans or a schedule of works, so you can see how substantial they are.
- Planning permission or building control approval, where the work needs it.
- Contractor quotes and a start date, which show the intention is real.
Put your access offer in writing too, setting out when you can make rooms available. Keep paying rent as normal. If you might have nowhere to go, contact your council's housing team well before the date in the notice. Our guide to what the council must do if you're facing eviction explains when the duty starts.
For the hearing itself, see our Section 8 eviction defence guide.
If your landlord has served a Ground 6 notice, Remedy can check the dates, draft your request for the works evidence and your access offer, and help you prepare if it goes to court.
