Form 3A

Form 3A (section 8 notice seeking possession)

Form 3A is the notice a private landlord in England uses to tell an assured tenant they intend to seek possession, known as a section 8 notice. It sets out the grounds and the earliest date the landlord can apply to court. To fill in another, upload a completed Form 3A and a blank one.

Tested with the GOV.UK edition dated May 2026

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What Form 3A is

GOV.UK's guide for private landlords says that since 1 May 2026 you can only give a notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 to end a tenancy, and that to be valid you use Form 3A (or a form substantially to the like effect), include the right amount of notice and set out the ground and the reasons. GOV.UK's forms page says Form 3A is also known as a section 8 notice. It says the form is for a landlord seeking possession of a privately rented property let under an assured tenancy or assured agricultural occupancy.

Form 3 or Form 3A?

The Form 3A PDF says it is for the private rented sector in England only, and that Form 3 should be used for social rented sector tenancies. The Form 3 itself says private landlords must not use it, apart from a narrow exception for some notices served before 1 May 2026. Check the GOV.UK guidance if your notice may be one of those.

Download the current form

GOV.UK publishes Form 3A as a 10-page PDF (marked 05.26), with guidance for landlords and a separate document with the legal wording for the grounds. RepeatForm does not supply the blank form. The link to GOV.UK is in the current edition section below.

Form 3A section by section

1. The tenant(s) details. Full name of each tenant, and the address of the property.

2. Earliest date your landlord can apply to court. The date before which court proceedings cannot begin. The form's note says you must give the minimum notice for the grounds you rely on, and with more than one ground you wait for the longest period. It makes an exception for antisocial behaviour grounds (7A and 14). GOV.UK's Form 3A landlord guidance lists the notice periods.

3. Latest date your landlord can apply to court. Printed on the form: 12 months from the date of service, after which the notice is no longer valid. Not filled in.

4. Landlord's reasons. 4.1 is an optional tick-list of common grounds. 4.2 and 4.3 are mandatory: 4.2 is the full legal wording of each ground from Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988, and 4.3 is your explanation of why each ground applies. The form says not to rely on the name of the ground only.

5. Contact details and signature. Signature, whether you are the landlord, agent or licensor, date, name, address, phone and email. For joint landlords, each signs in the additional signatures box or they agree for one to sign for all. The form says that giving an email address means the tenant and the court may use it to serve documents on you.

6. Information for tenants. Printed advice for the tenant; not filled in.

What comes next

Form 3A only gives notice. GOV.UK says that if the tenant does not leave by the date in the notice you apply to the court for a possession order, and must give the court a copy of the section 8 notice you supplied. That claim is a separate set of forms: see N5.

Filling in a new Form 3A from one you already completed

Upload a completed Form 3A and a blank current one. RepeatForm matches the answers that appear in both and shows them for you to check before you create a preview.

What carries over

✓Tenant names and the property address. A different tenancy needs different ones, so check them.
✓The landlord, licensor or agent name, address, phone and email
✓The "I am the" tick for landlord, agent or licensor
✓Check each one: any tick in 4.1, and questions 4.2 and 4.3 and the 2.1 date. These are specific to each notice, so write them for this tenant, using the wording in GOV.UK's legal-wording document. RepeatForm does not draft grounds or explanations.
✓The signature box and the additional signatures box can carry over if they hold text in your completed copy. Check them in the preview and sign this notice yourself.

What never carries over

✓The signing date. It stays blank for you to enter.
✓The signature and date on the extra sheets.

Current GOV.UK edition

Possession claim next? The claim form is N5.

Proposing a new rent rather than seeking possession? See Form 4A (section 13 notice).

How it works

Move matching answers into the new form, then check the PDF.

Upload the two versions, check what matched, then inspect the finished PDF before paying.

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Start with a completed PDF and the new blank version.

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Good to know

✓You review every carried-over answer. RepeatForm does not guarantee the form is correct.
✓Both the signature and the signing date are yours to complete. Check them in the preview.
✓The grounds, the explanation and the dates are specific to each notice. RepeatForm does not draft them or tell you what notice period applies.
✓RepeatForm does not give legal advice, does not serve or file anything, and cannot tell you whether Form 3A is the right notice for your tenancy.
✓It works with digital, text-selectable PDFs only. Scans, photos and handwriting are not supported.
✓Same or recent versions of the form work best. If the form has changed you may get fewer matches, so check the preview carefully and get the current form from GOV.UK.

Not sure whether your form is supported? See the list on supported PDFs.

Want to know how reuse works with any PDF form? Read how to copy PDF form fields.

FAQ

Is Form 3A the section 8 notice?+

Yes. GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page says Form 3A is also known as a section 8 notice. GOV.UK's landlord guide says that since 1 May 2026 a section 8 notice is the only notice you can give to end a private assured tenancy, and that you use Form 3A, or a form substantially to the like effect.

Do I need a reason to use Form 3A?+

GOV.UK says you need a reason, known as a ground for possession. The form asks for the full legal wording of each ground in question 4.2 and your own explanation in 4.3.

Is it Form 3 or Form 3A?+

For a privately rented property in England, GOV.UK points to Form 3A. Form 3 is the social housing version, with a narrow exception for some notices served before 1 May 2026. Check GOV.UK for your situation.

How long is a Form 3A valid for?+

The form says the latest date your landlord can apply to court is 12 months from the date of service, after which the notice is no longer valid. It also mentions that this can be extended if the tenant enters a breathing space.

Where do I download Form 3A, and where is the legal wording?+

Both are on GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page, with guidance on notice periods. RepeatForm does not host the form or supply the wording for grounds. It fills a blank Form 3A you upload with the matching answers from a completed one, and you review and preview the result before you pay.

Can I reuse my last Form 3A for another tenant?+

You can carry across your own details as landlord or agent. Tenant names, the property, the grounds, the explanation and the dates belong to each notice, so check or rewrite them. The signing date never carries. A signature box can carry over, so check it and sign the new notice yourself. RepeatForm does not give legal advice or tell you whether a ground applies.

What do I do after serving a section 8 notice?+

If the tenant does not leave by the date in the notice, GOV.UK says you apply to the court for a possession order. It describes an online service for rent-arrears-only claims and a paper route for other grounds. RepeatForm has a page for the N5 claim form.