8 William Pitt Close

Everything about the house in one place — the legal stuff, the repairs, the people, the paperwork.

Where things stand today

You have decided you would like the house back so you can move in, do it up, and live there for a while. To do that, the tenant — Mr Peter Marnham, who has rented the house since 2012 — needs to move out.

On 24 April 2026, your managing agent Motis Estates served him with a Section 21 notice. That notice asks him to leave the property after 27 June 2026. That step is done — it is the proper, formal start of getting the house back.

What a "Section 21 notice" really means

This is the part that worries people, so let's be clear and calm about it:

If the tenant does not leave by then, it does not become a crisis. It just means the next step is a court application — a form, usually decided on paper without anyone having to attend — which results in a possession order. We will be ready for that if it is needed.

One important rule, so you are never caught out: a tenant can only ever be removed by court-appointed bailiffs. Nobody changes locks or forces anyone out. The law is on your side as long as we follow the proper steps — and we will.

What happens next

What we need to sort

Most of this is for me and Motis to chase — you don't need to do it all yourself. The first seven items below were all asked of Meghan on 31 May and we're now waiting for her reply.

• Confirm the notice is valid. Written confirmation that the Section 21 was served correctly — especially that the deposit was properly protected back in 2012 and the prescribed information given to Peter at the time.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply in progress
• The photo of the notice being delivered on 24 April, plus confirmation that the PDF we hold matches what Peter actually received.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply in progress
• Chase Peter in writing — before 27 June. A formal letter asking him to confirm by 15 June whether he intends to leave, with a second chaser if he doesn't reply. Builds a paper trail rather than relying on a single phone call on the day.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply in progress
• Settle who runs a court application if needed. Either Motis themselves under the accelerated possession procedure, or a housing solicitor lined up now. We want this agreed in advance, not scrambled in July.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply in progress
• Check the law hasn't changed mid-stream. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is being brought in during 2026 — we need Motis's confirmation that this Section 21 remains a live route.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply in progress
• Consolidate the inspection reports and photos. Our evidence base if there's any dispute over the deposit at handover.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply later
• Plan for the SORN'd car and the garage contents. If Peter leaves them behind, we need to know the route to disposal — abandoned-vehicle processes can be slow.
  → Asked Motis 31 May — awaiting reply later
• Confirm the current buildings insurance. We need the insurer, policy number and renewal date on file — see the next section.
  → Mum to send via the message box to do

The insurance

This section is for the buildings insurance on the house — the policy that covers the building itself if something goes wrong.

Insurer

— to confirm —

Policy number

— to confirm —

Renewal date

— to confirm —

Broker

— to confirm (if any) —

Cover type

Buildings (landlord)

Property insured

8 William Pitt Close, Hythe, Kent, CT21 5NX

First insured here

August 2010 (on completion)

Repairs we've done over the years

The headline ones — anything where we instructed a contractor or paid for materials. This is from the email archive, so if anything is missing or wrong, tell me and I'll correct it.

Invoices & rent statements

Motis send a monthly rent statement showing rent received, any deductions for repairs or fees, and what's paid out to you.

Latest two statements from Motis

The documents

Everything is saved and safe on Richard's machine and backed up. The key papers are:

• The Section 21 notice — served 24 April 2026 (Form 6A).
• Motis rent statements — 14 Apr 2026 and 12 May 2026 (latest two).
• The full email history — every email about the house since 2010 (225 messages).
• Inspection reports & photos — the condition of the property.
• EICR / gas safety / EPC — the safety certificates Motis hold.
• The history file — a written summary covering the cast, timeline and current state.

Ask Richard if you would like to see any of them.

Who's involved

Trusted contractors (Hythe / Folkestone)

Send me a message

Anything you want me to know — questions, decisions, things Motis told you on the phone, the insurance details I asked about — just type it here. I get it on my end.

Prefer email? Send it directly to silkyrich@gmail.com — or just ring me.