Notice period on moving out early in an eviction case (England)
i'm facing an eviction and i'm really struggling to understand the legislation on all of this.
i have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreement with my landlady for a 12-month contract, from 1 Nov 2025 to 1 Nov 2026, for myself and one housemate, in the Croydon area. on 24 April 2026, she served us Form 6A as part of a Section 21 eviction (so, before the new Renters' Rights law came into effect on 1 May 2026). she gave us 3 months' notice, and we need to leave on 1 August 2026.
i have read what i could find online on the gov.uk and Shelter website, and my understanding is because we were served Section 21 before 1 May, that means our contract is still an AST and we're still under the old law. the contract is a 2-page contract she bought from LawPack, very bare bones, and has no mention of breaking the contract or notice periods if we wanted to leave early. i suspect the Section 21 notice might be invalid, because we didn't get a Gas Safety certificate, EPC or How to rent guide, but i'm not sure how well this specifically would hold up in a court (she did everything else correctly - deposit protection etc)
my main question is:
if I find another place to rent before the deadline of 1 August, am I allowed to move out early before 1 August, or do I have to wait until 1 August? if i can move out early, am I legally obligated to give her notice (and if yes, how long?). can she pursue me for unpaid rent of the months I'm not living here anymore, given that she's the one evicting me in the first place?
previous advice i've gotten was 'talk to the landlord and see if you can reach a mutual understanding on moving out early', but that's not what i'm asking - my question is around what I am legally allowed/protected to do in this situation.
thank you for any support.