# Landlord wants to sell or move in: the earliest date a Ground 1 or Ground 1A notice can expire, worked for four tenancies > Ground 1 and 1A need four months' notice that cannot expire in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Four start dates worked, and the date where the rule flips. - Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/ground-1-ground-1a-notice-earliest-date-12-month-rule-landlord-sale-or-move-in/ - Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/) - Section: Letting agents, Notices and arrears - Published 8 October 2026 - Key fact: A notice served on 8 October 2026 cannot expire before 8 February 2027 (four months). For a tenancy that began on or before 7 February 2026, the four months decides the date. For one that began on or after 9 February 2026, the 12-month rule decides it: a tenancy that began on 14 February 2026 cannot have a Ground 1 or 1A notice expiring before 15 February 2027, so the earliest day to serve is 15 October 2026. - Sources: GOV.UK, Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents (page updated 1 May 2026): Ground 1 and Ground 1A, notice of 4 months, no request to leave within the first 12 months of a new tenancy, notice may be given in that period but cannot expire before it ends, Ground 1A unavailable for assured tenancies created before 1 May 2026 that were not assured shorthold tenancies. Read 8 October 2026. A landlord client rings on a Thursday in October. They want to sell the flat, or move a family member in, and they ask the one question an agent should answer with a date: when can the tenants be asked to leave? The answer depends on two clocks, and whichever finishes later wins. ## The two clocks GOV.UK's grounds for possession guidance, updated on 1 May 2026, gives Ground 1 (the landlord or a family member needs to live in the property) and Ground 1A (the landlord intends to sell) the same shape: - **Four months' notice,** given before you apply to court for a possession order. - **No request to leave within the first 12 months of a new tenancy.** GOV.UK adds that you can give notice during those 12 months, but the notice cannot expire before they end. So the earliest expiry date is the later of two dates: the day four months after service, and the day the first 12 months of the tenancy finish. Both grounds are mandatory, which means a court must order possession if the landlord proves the ground, but only after the notice is valid. A notice with an expiry date that is too early is the part an agent can control. ## The date where the rule flips Take today, 8 October 2026. A notice served today runs four months, so it cannot expire before 8 February 2027. The 12-month limit only matters if it ends later than that. Twelve months ends after 8 February 2027 only when the tenancy began after 8 February 2026. So: - A tenancy that began on or before 7 February 2026: the four months decides the date. The first 12 months finished before 8 February 2027 anyway. - A tenancy that began on or after 9 February 2026: the 12-month rule decides the date, and serving today wastes nothing but does not speed anything up either. ## Four tenancies worked To be careful with the boundary, plan the expiry for the day after the 12 months end, not the last day. GOV.UK says the notice cannot expire before the 12 months end; planning for the day after leaves no argument about whether the anniversary itself counts. | Tenancy began | 12 months ends | Notice served 8 Oct 2026 expires no earlier than | Which clock decides | Earliest day to serve for the planned expiry | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 September 2025 | 1 September 2026 | 8 February 2027 | Four months | 8 October 2026 (today) | | 20 November 2025 | 20 November 2026 | 8 February 2027 | Four months | 8 October 2026 (today) | | 14 February 2026 | 14 February 2027 | 15 February 2027 | 12 months | 15 October 2026 | | 1 June 2026 | 1 June 2027 | 2 June 2027 | 12 months | 2 February 2027 | Working for the last two rows: for 14 February 2026, the 12 months end on 14 February 2027, so plan for 15 February 2027, and four months before that is 15 October 2026. For 1 June 2026, plan for 2 June 2027; four months before is 2 February 2027. A notice served earlier than those dates would have to run longer than four months, or expire too soon, and neither is what the landlord wants. ## Which tenancy start date to use The first two rows are tenancies that began as assured shorthold tenancies before 1 May 2026. The guidance talks about the first 12 months of a "new tenancy" and does not say, in the extract we read, how it counts a tenancy that moved to the new system on 1 May 2026. The cautious approach is to count from the date the tenancy first began, and to ask the landlord's solicitor if a notice would only just clear a different count. The dates above assume that cautious count. Also check the tenancy type. GOV.UK says Ground 1A cannot be used for an assured tenancy created before 1 May 2026 that was not an assured shorthold tenancy, sometimes called a lifetime tenancy. Our guide to [section 8 notices after the Renters' Rights Act](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/section-8-notice-after-renters-rights-act/) covers the form and the other grounds. ## What the agent should file before serving 1. The tenancy start date and a copy of the agreement. 2. The landlord's reason, in their own words, and for Ground 1A the evidence that they intend to sell, for example an instruction to a sales agent. 3. The calculated expiry date, with the working shown as in the table above. 4. How and when the notice will be served. The dates in this guide assume service and receipt on the same day; our [Renters' Rights information sheet and proof of service guide](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/renters-rights-information-sheet-proof-of-service/) covers the evidence you need. 5. A note to the landlord that GOV.UK's page does not say what happens if the landlord sells or lets the property again soon afterwards. The guidance extract we read does not give a restricted period, so do not tell a client there is none, or that there is one, without checking the Act. ## Before you promise a date A sale with vacant possession now depends on the notice expiring, and an agent who gives the client the wrong month risks the sale. Run the check for every landlord client who mentions selling, and compare the result with the rest of your Renters' Rights work in the [letting agent readiness check](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/letting-agent-renters-rights-act-readiness-check/). Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your lettings team and work out the expiry date for each notice from the tenancy file, flag a tenancy type that rules Ground 1A out, and draft the landlord's email for a person to check and send. The decision to serve stays with the landlord and your agent. This is general information about England, not legal advice. Check GOV.UK, the Act and the tenancy's own papers before you serve a notice. --- ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png) Overlyft: https://overlyft.com/ General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.