What Is an Assured Periodic Tenancy in England

Private residential tenancies in England that meet the assured-tenancy criteria are now assured periodic tenancies. Since 1 May 2026, when Phase 1 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect, assured shorthold tenancies have ended and qualifying tenancies no longer have fixed terms. If you let residential property in England, this is the framework you operate under when the tenancy qualifies as assured.

How the Assured Periodic Tenancy Works

An assured periodic tenancy rolls from one rent period to the next with no end date. If your tenant pays monthly, the tenancy renews month to month. If they pay weekly, it rolls week to week. There is no fixed term to expire, no renewal to negotiate, and no contractual end date to manage.

The tenancy continues until either the tenant gives two months' written notice under Section 5(1) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, or the landlord obtains a court order on one of the statutory Section 8 grounds. Nobody can end it by simply letting a date pass.

This structure applies to every private residential letting that qualifies as an assured tenancy under Section 1 of the Housing Act 1988. It does not apply to social housing, long leaseholds over 21 years, shared ownership leases, purpose-built student accommodation under the UNIPOL/ANUK exemption, resident landlord lettings, or holiday and company lets.

What Changed on 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 amended Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988. Section 16E now voids any contractual provision that purports to create a fixed term, restrict the tenant's right to give two months' notice, or set a rent period longer than monthly. Any clause like that in an existing agreement became unenforceable automatically on 1 May 2026.

Every existing AST — whether it was a fixed-term still running, a contractual periodic, a statutory periodic, or an unwritten oral agreement — converted into an assured periodic tenancy by operation of law. No new paperwork was needed for the conversion itself, though landlords had separate obligations to serve the official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 and, for oral tenancies, a full Written Statement of Terms.

Section 21 notices were abolished on the same date. Landlords can no longer serve no-fault eviction notices. Possession is available only through the Section 8 grounds, with notice periods ranging from two weeks to four months depending on the ground.

Key Rules for Landlords

Rent increases follow Section 13 exclusively. Contractual rent review clauses are void. To raise the rent, you serve Form 4A giving at least two months' notice, and you can do it no more than once every 12 months. The tenant can refer the proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal, which determines the open market rent but cannot set it higher than your proposal.

Rent in advance is capped at one month's rent (or 28 days where the rent period is shorter), collected only after the tenancy agreement is signed. Requesting more is a breach of the amended Tenant Fees Act 2019.

The Written Statement of Terms under Section 16D is mandatory for every new tenancy. It must be given to the tenant before signing, and it must include the 16 prescribed fields set out in S.I. 2026/324 — from landlord identity and service address through to statements on repairing obligations, gas safety, electrical standards, and disability modifications.

Tenant notice is two months minimum, with the expiry date aligned to the end of a rent period. One joint tenant can give notice and it ends the tenancy for all of them — a rule that catches many landlords off guard in shared lettings.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

Local Housing Authorities enforce compliance through civil penalties. A first or technical breach — failing to provide the Written Statement, missing the Information Sheet deadline, attempting to create a fixed term, or breaching the rent advance cap — carries a penalty of up to £7,000 per breach. Serious, intentional, or repeat offences within five years carry penalties up to £40,000.

Beyond the fines, a paperwork breach blocks you from using certain possession grounds. If you haven't served the Written Statement or the required prior notices, the court cannot grant possession on grounds that depend on those notices.

What This Means in Practice

The assured periodic tenancy is simpler in some ways — no fixed terms to track, no renewal negotiations, no Section 21 notices to serve. But it demands more administrative discipline. You need the Written Statement right, the Information Sheet served and provably delivered, rent increases run through the correct statutory process, and your audit trail documented well enough to survive a local authority inspection.

If you are managing a single property through the transition, the Assured Periodic Tenancies compliance kit walks through every step with the forms, deadlines, and delivery logs you need.

See more England guides →