Use this pack after correctly serving a notice seeking possession under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 where the tenant(s) has failed to pay the rent arrears in the time stipulated in your notice.
The documents contained in this pack give you everything you must use in order to start court proceedings, obtain an order for possession and to obtain an order for the tenant(s) to pay the rent arrears (if they do not issue a defence at court disputing your claim). The pack contains all the court forms, letters and ancillary documents, such as schedules and witness statements, required to follow the court procedure and to claim back your costs, where your tenancy agreement states that the tenant will be liable to pay for them.
You should start the process by using the documents ‘Form N5 - Claim for possession of property (rent arrears only)’, ‘Form N119 – Particulars of claim (rent arrears only)’and ‘Schedule of rent arrears for form N119’. You should then send these completed documents to the court along with the associated covering letter ‘Covering letter for claim form N5 & N119’.
The document notes that come with these documents will explain which of the documents included in this pack you will need to use next or view our flowchart.
If it is unlikely that the tenant(s) will pay the rent arrears (due to their financial circumstances) then you may want to consider obtaining a possession order using the ‘accelerated possession procedure as this process is quicker, but does not order the tenant(s) to pay the rent back. Start with our pack 'Stage one: Before you start court proceedings (accelerated possession)'.
Pack documents:
- Form N5 - Claim for possession of property (rent arrears only)
- Form N119 – Particulars of claim (rent arrears only)
- Schedule of rent arrears for form N119
- Covering letter for claim form N5 & N119
- Updated rent arrears schedule and witness statement for possession hearing
- Schedule of costs for applications to court to recover costs
- Form N215 - Certificate of service
- Possession claim notice: effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the tenant