Eight years in the same flat
The first Syrian family lived in the flat for about a year. A second family, two parents and a child, moved in during November 2018 and has lived there since, The Times reported on September 21. The Knights received a one off £2,000 incentive and monthly rent of £1,310 funded through housing benefit, according to the newspaper.
Their son Zach studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The couple wanted him to move into the property for the new academic year and served the tenants with a Section 21 notice on April 11, asking them to leave by August 22. Instead, Zach has been staying with an aunt, The Times reported.
Why did the notice fail?
England's Renters' Rights Act changes took effect on May 1, 2026. Under government transitional guidance, landlords who had issued a Section 21 notice before that date needed to begin court proceedings by July 31 at the latest. A notice whose earliest court action date fell on or after August 1 could no longer be used. The August 22 date in the Knights' notice put them on the wrong side of that deadline.
The couple have issued a new notice under Section 8, which provides a route for landlords seeking to move themselves or family members into a property. The Times said this notice runs until December 22. Its expiry would not itself transfer possession: a court process may be necessary if the tenants remain.
Laura Knight told The Times that the council had previously led them to believe they could reclaim the flat whenever they needed it. Wandsworth Council said its earlier advice reflected the law then in force; it acknowledged the family's difficulty and said it would assist both sides within its legal responsibilities. The newspaper did not include an account from the tenants themselves.
What a possession claim would involve
The government’s guidance separates giving notice from obtaining a court order. A landlord seeking possession under Section 8 must identify an applicable legal ground, provide the required notice and, if the tenant remains, present evidence to the court. Incomplete or inaccurate paperwork can delay a claim or lead to its dismissal. Ownership alone does not remove those procedural requirements.
A tenant can also respond to the claim. The court considers the documents and the ground relied upon before deciding the outcome. If an order is granted but is not followed, enforcement can require a further step. That sequence explains why the date printed on a notice cannot safely be treated as a guaranteed moving day for an incoming family member.
Why the timeline matters beyond this family
The distinctive feature of the Knights’ situation is the overlap between a family housing plan and a change in the rules governing possession. Their reported wish to house their son explains why they want the property back. The legal process determines how that request can be pursued, regardless of the humanitarian reason the letting originally began.
For readers following the case, three milestones must therefore remain separate: the date the owners asked for the flat, the expiry of the replacement notice and any eventual court decision. The report establishes a dispute over access and timing; it does not establish that a court has ordered the tenants to leave or that the owners have lost their property rights.
