Grounds 1 and 1A: moving in or selling the property

Two of the most commonly used mandatory grounds cover situations where the landlord — not the tenant — is the reason possession is being sought: moving in yourself (or a close family member), or selling the property.

Ground 1 — occupation by landlord or family

Mandatory · 4 months' notice

This ground applies if you or a close family member need to move into the property. It's a mandatory ground, meaning the court must grant possession once it's proven — but it comes with an important timing restriction.

Ground 1A — sale of the property

Mandatory · 4 months' notice

This ground applies if you intend to sell the property. It carries the same 4-month notice requirement and the same protected-period restriction as Ground 1. It doesn't apply to certain older tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 without an assured shorthold basis (sometimes called "lifetime tenancies"), and most social landlords can't use it at all.

The 12-month protected period

Both grounds share the same important restriction: you can't ask a tenant to leave under either ground within the first 12 months of a new tenancy. This doesn't mean you have to wait until 12 months have passed before doing anything — you can serve notice earlier, but the notice can't take effect (expire) before the tenancy reaches its 12-month mark.

Working out your timing

In practice, this means if your tenancy is, say, 8 months old, you could serve a Ground 1 or 1A notice now, but it would need to be timed so it doesn't expire until at least the 12-month point — potentially meaning a longer effective notice period than the standard 4 months, depending on exactly when you serve it. Getting this timing right is worth checking carefully, since a notice that expires too early can be invalid.