Create Form 3A Section 8 Notice Online

Overview

The Renters' Rights Act version of Form 3A, section 8 notice, is available in the Other Forms part of Tenancy Builder.

Create Form 3A online

Guild subscribers can complete Form 3A in Tenancy Builder. It inserts the full legal wording for each selected possession ground and produces a PDF to check, sign and serve. Existing subscribers can open Other Forms. If you are not yet a subscriber, see the Guild membership options and prices.

It is used when a landlord seeks possession of a property let on an assured tenancy or an assured agricultural occupancy in the private rented sector.

Guild subscribers can complete the notice on-screen in Tenancy Builder. The form can pull in tenant and property details from an existing Tenancy Builder record, ask which possession grounds are being used, and produce a completed PDF ready to check, sign, and serve.

The main advantage of using the Guild version is that the legal wording for each selected possession ground is added automatically. If you use the GOV.UK PDF instead, you must copy the full wording for each ground from the separate Form 3A legal wording document. The ground number or ground name alone is not enough.

What the form covers

The notice records the tenant names, the rented property address, the earliest date on which court proceedings may begin, the grounds of possession relied on, the landlord's explanation for relying on those grounds, and the landlord, agent, or licensor's details.

It also allows for additional signatures where there are joint landlords or joint licensors. One landlord may sign on behalf of all joint landlords only with the others' agreement.

The completed PDF adds the legal wording as a continuation sheet. The final PDF should still be checked carefully before service, especially the selected grounds, the explanation in question 4.3, the earliest court date, and the signature details.

Where an authorised agent signs Form 3A, the prescribed section 5 requests the contact details of the landlord, licensor, or agent, and it does not provide a separate landlord-only name or address box. In the Guild Other Forms version, the landlord's identity is kept clear in the signatory details where appropriate.

As a cautious extra step, especially where an agent is signing, the landlord's name and address can also be included at the start of the factual explanation in question 4.3, for example: “The landlord [name and address] relies on the following grounds …”.

Completing the form

In Tenancy Builder, go to Other Forms in the sidebar, add a new form, and choose Form 3A section 8 notice. The online form asks for the tenancy address, tenant names, grounds for possession, an explanation, dates, landlord details, and signatories' details.

A help button is available in the online form to assist with selecting grounds and completing the notice. The completed notice is then produced as a PDF for download and service.

We also have a separate step-by-step guide on how to complete Form 3A section 8 notice.

Using the correct grounds and wording

Form 3A is not a general notice to quit. It can only be used where one or more possession grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 apply.

The form requires the full legal wording of each ground in question 4.2 and a separate explanation in question 4.3 of why each ground is being used. The Guild version automatically inserts the legal wording for the selected grounds, but the landlord must still provide their own factual explanation.

Common examples include rent arrears grounds 8, 10, and 11; breach of tenancy ground 12; anti-social behaviour ground 14; sale ground 1A; landlord occupation ground 1; and redevelopment ground 6. Only select grounds that are genuinely supported by the facts.

Timing and service

The earliest court date depends on the grounds used and the date the notice is served. If more than one ground is used, the landlord normally has to wait for the longest notice period. There are special rules for anti-social behaviour, grounds 7A and 14.

After completing the form, download the PDF, check it carefully, sign it in all required places, and serve it in accordance with the tenancy agreement and the general rules on service. Keep a copy of the completed notice and evidence of service.

We recommend posting the notice as a minimum. If email is used, it should usually be used only as a copy unless the tenancy agreement clearly permits service by email.

A Section 8 notice can fail if the wrong form is used, the wrong grounds are selected, the legal wording is missing, the explanation is inadequate, the date is too early, or the notice is not served correctly.