If the points below describe your situation, this is where we can help.
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Court papers have arrived
An N5 claim form with a hearing date, or an "accelerated procedure" claim pack — plus a defence form (N11R or N11B) and a deadline, usually 14 days, that has already started running.
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You think the claim has problems
The arrears figure is wrong — or below the three-month threshold the new law requires. The notice looks defective. Your deposit was never protected. You reported serious disrepair and the response was an eviction notice.
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You're caught in the changeover
The law changed on 1 May 2026. Old-style Section 21 claims are still working through the courts — landlords have until 31 July 2026 to lodge them — while new claims run under the new Section 8 rules. Which regime your case falls under changes what you can argue.
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You want to stay — or at least leave on your terms
A properly argued defence can mean the difference between an outright order, a suspended order on terms you can meet, or the claim failing altogether. Even buying time matters when you need to find somewhere to live.
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You'll use the free help — and you want your papers ready for it
There's a free duty adviser at every possession hearing (see below), but they meet you on the day, often minutes before you're called in. A duty adviser with a completed defence form, a clear chronology, and an indexed bundle in front of them can do far more for you than one starting from a carrier bag of papers.
Losing your home is the one area where free legal advice — and free representation in court — is available to everyone, with no means test. Whatever you do about documents, use these.
✓ Free routes by stage
We mean this — start here. Some of what's below is free legal advice, which is more than we can ever give you.
Received any notice or letter threatening possession?
The
Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS) gives free legal advice to anyone at risk of losing their home — on the housing issue, plus related debt and benefits problems — from the moment you're told possession is being sought. No means test. Find a provider on the list on that page and contact them early.
Worried it's about rent arrears?
Shelter's eviction guides cover the new rules, and their emergency helpline is free.
Citizens Advice can help with the arrears themselves — benefits checks, debt options, and negotiating with the landlord. Under the new law, arrears caused by Universal Credit payment delays don't count towards the eviction threshold — an adviser can help you show that.
Hearing date coming up?
A free duty adviser is at court for every possession list — they can advise you and speak for you in front of the judge on the day, free, whatever your income. Ask the court usher for the duty adviser when you arrive, or contact an HLPAS provider beforehand so they already know your case.
Could you end up homeless?
Your local council has a legal duty to help prevent homelessness — and that duty starts well before any bailiff visit, while you're still in the property.
Apply for homelessness help on GOV.UK. Don't wait for an eviction date.
Using the free advice, and want your defence papers properly prepared too?
That's where we come in — see what's in a pack below. The two work together: advisers advise, we make sure the paperwork they're working with is complete, organised, and filed on time.
Every pack is built around the specific facts of your tenancy — the notice you were served, the grounds claimed, your rent account, and the history between you and your landlord. Here's what's in a typical pack.
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Defence (Form N11R or N11B)
Your formal response to the claim, drafted to the specific facts and the points available to you — a defective notice, a disputed arrears figure, an unprotected deposit, disrepair you reported, or grounds that don't meet the legal test. N11R answers a standard claim; N11B answers an accelerated one. Both have a deadline, usually 14 days.
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Witness Statement
Your signed, structured account — the tenancy, what you've paid, what you've reported, what was said and when. Ready to sign with a Statement of Truth.
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Rent Account Reconciliation
Your own payment record, built from your bank statements, set against the arrears the landlord claims. Under the law in force since 1 May 2026, an arrears eviction generally needs at least three months' arrears both when notice is served and at the hearing — so whether the figure is right, and what it is on the day, can decide the case.
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Chronology
A dated timeline from tenancy start to today — payments, repairs reported, notices received, every relevant conversation. Judges in busy possession lists value this more than almost anything.
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Exhibit Index
Every piece of evidence — tenancy agreement, bank statements, the notice and envelope, photos, correspondence — numbered, described, and easy for a judge or duty adviser to navigate.
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Evidence Gap note
What's missing and exactly where to find it before the hearing. For example: free searches of all three deposit schemes to check your deposit was protected, the gas safety certificate you were never given, or your Universal Credit payment statements showing a delay caused the arrears.
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Document Usage Guide
A plain-English explanation of each document — what it does, when to file it, what to bring to the hearing, and what to hand the duty adviser. So you walk in knowing what every piece of paper is for.
Tier options — each tier builds on the one below.
- Essential (£99) — Chronology, Exhibit Index, Key Facts summary, Evidence Gap note, and Document Usage Guide. The full paper trail, indexed and ready. Suits anyone who has completed their own defence form and just needs the supporting bundle organised.
- Standard (£199) — Everything in Essential, plus a fully drafted Defence (N11R or N11B), Witness Statement, and Rent Account Reconciliation (PDF and Word). The pack most possession defendants need.
- Full Pack (£299) — Everything in Standard, plus Hearing Notes and one round of revisions. The right choice once a hearing date is set — it's built around what the judge will ask.
- Complex (£499) — Bespoke pack for cases that don't fit the standard pattern — a disrepair counterclaim, an application to suspend a warrant or set aside an order (N244), or several claims tangled together.
One honest note on timing: if your hearing is days away, contact the duty adviser first — they can act faster than any document service. We're most useful when there are at least two weeks on the clock.
Clock running on your defence form? Let's get it done properly.
Upload the claim pack you received (every page, including the notice), your tenancy agreement, bank statements covering the rent, your deposit paperwork if any, and the correspondence so far. We'll prepare your Defence, Witness Statement, Rent Account Reconciliation, Chronology, and Exhibit Index — prioritised around your court deadline.
Submit your case ↗
Everything below is reference material — the full list of documents that can appear in a possession case, court forms, an evidence checklist, and external resources — for anyone working through their case themselves.
The documents below appear most often in possession cases. Not every case needs all of them — it depends on the grounds claimed and how far things have progressed.
Core documents
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Defence (N11R / N11B) Core — deadline usually 14 days
Your formal response to the possession claim. N11R for a standard claim; N11B for the accelerated procedure.
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Witness Statement Core
Your signed, structured account of the tenancy and the dispute — the evidence the court relies on.
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Chronology Core
A clear, dated timeline — tenancy start, payments, repairs reported, notices served, correspondence. Courts expect this.
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Rent Account / Arrears Schedule Core — in arrears cases
A reconciled payment history. The landlord will produce theirs; the court should see yours.
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Bundle Core — for hearings
All your documents paginated, tabbed, and indexed in the format the court expects.
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Skeleton Argument / Hearing Summary Core — for hearings
A structured summary of your factual and legal points for the judge. Submitted before the hearing date.
Situational documents
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Disrepair Counterclaim If serious disrepair was reported and ignored
A claim back against the landlord for disrepair, made within the possession proceedings — it can offset arrears and change the outcome.
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Application Notice (N244) If making an application
Used to ask the court for something — suspend a warrant of eviction, set aside a possession order made in your absence, or adjourn a hearing. Time limits are tight.
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Subject Access Request (SAR) If an agent manages the property
A written request under data protection law for the records the landlord or agent holds — repair logs, rent ledgers, and internal notes about your tenancy.
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Statement of Means If asking for a suspended order or time
Your income and outgoings, set out so the court can judge what repayment terms are realistic.
⚠ Evidence people often forget to include
- The notice itself and the envelope it came in — dates, the form used, and the postmark all matter to whether it's valid
- Bank statements covering every rent payment — your payment record is the answer to a disputed arrears figure
- Universal Credit or housing benefit statements — payment delays can explain arrears, and UC-delay arrears are treated differently under the new law
- Deposit protection paperwork — or proof there isn't any — free searches of all three schemes take minutes and can affect older Section 21 claims
- Gas Safety Certificate, EPC, and How to Rent guide — documents the landlord was required to give you; missing ones can undermine older claims
- Every repair report and the landlord's replies — texts and emails included, with dates
- Photos of disrepair — taken on your phone with the date stamps intact
- Council Environmental Health correspondence — if you complained to the council about conditions, get the records
Time limits are tight in possession cases — the defence form deadline is usually 14 days, and applications to stop a bailiff appointment are measured in days.
If papers have arrived, act today, not this weekend. DocketWorks is not responsible for content on external websites.
Each form below links directly to the official GOV.UK page. These descriptions explain what each form is for —
not whether you should file it. If you are unsure which step to take next, seek advice — for possession cases it's free (see above).
These organisations and websites may provide useful guidance on eviction and possession.
DocketWorks does not endorse any external site — these links are for information only.
The hearing is coming either way. Walk in ready.
Send us the claim pack and what you have — we'll tell you what's missing and prepare the papers that put your side in front of the judge.
Submit your case ↗
Important: DocketWorks is a document preparation service, not a law firm. The information on this page is procedural —
which documents exist, which forms apply, and where free help is available. What we cannot do is advise on the merits of your case:
whether your defence will succeed, or what order a court is likely to make. For advice on the merits — free in possession cases — use
HLPAS,
Shelter, or
Citizens Advice, and do it today.