england-and-wales tenancy-rules
Can an AST in statutory periodic phase notice to quit be submitted to a landlord casually by WhatsApp?
<p>Suppose Alice lets a room to Bob, under a written contract that is incorrectly labelled as a lodger's agreement, however, Alice does not live in the property, thus automatically rendering Bob an assured shorthold tenant.</p>
<p>The initial fixed term was a month, after which it rolled into a statutory periodic AST.</p>
<p>2 weeks ago, Bob sent Alice a rather informal notice to quit by WhatsApp. He is now having difficulty finding alternative accommodation, and has asked Alice for permission to stay longer, which she has denied. Is Bob bound by his original informally served NTQ, or was it legally ineffective?</p>

<p>I've been unable to find a definitive answer on this. However, the consensus where this has been debated elsewhere on the web seems to be:</p>
<ul>
<li>If the tenancy agreement states how notices should be served (e.g. in writing or via e-mail, to specified addresses), then you should use those methods.</li>
<li>In theory, if you send a notice via WhatsApp, and the landlord replies in a manner which clearly and unambiguously indicates that they have accepted your notice as valid, then it is valid.</li>
</ul>
