Renters' Rights Act 2025
Assured shorthold tenancies are gone. This is what replaced them.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and the tenancy provisions took effect in England on 1 May 2026. Fixed terms, Section 21 and the AST itself went on the same day. Here is the regime that replaced them, and what it changes about letting a property, ending a tenancy and putting the rent up.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished assured shorthold tenancies and Section 21 no-fault eviction in England. Since 1 May 2026 every assured tenancy is periodic with no fixed term, possession runs through the Section 8 grounds, and rent can be raised once a year by a Section 13 notice the tenant can challenge at the First-tier Tribunal.
What changed on 1 May 2026
The Act did not amend the assured shorthold tenancy. It removed it, and moved every tenancy that used to be one onto a single periodic assured tenancy.
| Before 1 May 2026 | Now |
|---|---|
| Assured shorthold tenancy | Assured tenancy, periodic from the first day |
| Fixed term, then a renewal or a rollover | No fixed term to renew or let expire |
| Section 21 notice, no reason required | Section 8 grounds only, each stated and evidenced |
| Tenant committed for the fixed term | Tenant can leave at any point on two months' notice |
| Rent review clauses and negotiated increases | One Section 13 notice a year, challengeable at tribunal |
| Offers accepted above the advertised rent | The advertised rent is the ceiling |
| Lettings refused to benefit claimants or families | Unlawful to refuse on either ground |
| Pets at the landlord’s discretion | Requests cannot be unreasonably refused |
| No register of landlords in England | Database registration and Ombudsman membership |
The Private Rented Sector Database, Ombudsman membership, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law are being commenced in stages rather than all on 1 May 2026. LeaseUp applies each duty to a property as it comes into force rather than treating the whole Act as one switch.
Letting a property
The advertised rent is now a ceiling rather than an opening bid, and the grounds on which an applicant can be turned away have narrowed. The checks that survived, such as Right to Rent in England, are unchanged.
- The rent you advertise is the most you can accept, so rental bidding is out
- Blanket refusals of tenants on benefits or with children are unlawful
- A written statement of terms goes to the tenant before the tenancy begins
- Right to Rent checks still apply in England and are unaffected by the Act
Ending a tenancy
Section 21 is gone, so there is no longer a route to possession that does not name a reason. Everything runs through the Section 8 grounds, each of which carries its own notice period and has to be capable of being evidenced if the tenant does not leave.
- Possession requires a Section 8 ground, stated on the notice
- Each ground carries its own notice period, so the notice has to match the ground
- Selling the property or moving family in are grounds in their own right, with restrictions on when they can be used and on re-letting afterwards
- Tenants end the tenancy on two months' notice, with no fixed term to sit out first
Putting the rent up
Rent review clauses no longer do the work. An increase is a Section 13 notice, once a year, and a tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above the market rate can refer it to the First-tier Tribunal instead of paying it.
- One increase a year, served as a Section 13 notice
- The notice sets the date the new rent starts, and it cannot be backdated
- The tenant can refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal
The duties that came with the Act
Alongside the tenancy changes, the Act placed duties on the landlord rather than on the tenancy. These are the parts being switched on in stages, so the question for any given property is which of them applies yet.
- A tenant can request to keep a pet, and consent cannot be unreasonably refused
- Landlords register their properties on the Private Rented Sector Database
- Membership of the private rented sector Ombudsman is mandatory
- The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law extend to privately rented homes
England only, which matters if your portfolio is not
The Act is English legislation. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland reformed on their own timetables years earlier and are untouched by it, so a UK-wide portfolio now runs four regimes that have diverged further, not converged.
- Wales: occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, plus Rent Smart Wales registration
- Scotland: open-ended private residential tenancies, landlord registration and the Repairing Standard
- Northern Ireland: the Private Tenancies Act regime, with its own registration and deposit rules
What it means for the software you run on
Most lettings systems were built around the AST: a fixed term to diarise, a renewal to chase, a Section 21 notice to generate when the term ran out. None of those describe a tenancy in England any more, and a system that still produces them is producing documents for a regime that ended on 1 May 2026. The landlord who signs them is the one carrying that. LeaseUp treats the periodic assured tenancy as the default rather than an edge case, and applies each property’s own regime across the four nations.
Common questions
Do assured shorthold tenancies still exist?
No. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished them in England. On 1 May 2026 every existing assured shorthold tenancy converted to a periodic assured tenancy, and no new AST can be created. An agreement offered as an AST in England today describes a tenancy type the law no longer recognises.
What replaced Section 21?
The Section 8 grounds, expanded to cover the situations Section 21 was commonly used for, including a landlord selling the property or moving into it. The difference is that a Section 8 notice has to name its ground, give the notice period that ground carries, and stand up to challenge if the tenant does not leave. There is no longer a route to possession without a stated reason.
Does an existing tenancy need a new agreement?
Not for the conversion itself. Existing assured tenancies became periodic by operation of law on 1 May 2026, so nothing had to be re-signed to make that happen. What changed is what those tenancies now are: no fixed term, no Section 21, and rent increases only by Section 13 notice. New lettings are drawn up as periodic assured tenancies from the outset, with a written statement of terms.
Can I still let on a 12 month fixed term in England?
No. Fixed terms were abolished for assured tenancies. A letting runs as a periodic tenancy from the first day and the tenant can end it on two months' notice rather than being committed for a year. Certainty of income no longer comes from the length of the tenancy, so it has to come from referencing and from the Section 8 grounds instead.
Does the Act apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. Wales has run occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act since 2022, Scotland has had open-ended private residential tenancies since 2017, and Northern Ireland operates under the Private Tenancies Act. All three are unaffected, which means a UK-wide portfolio now spans four different sets of tenancy rules.
How does LeaseUp handle the new regime?
Periodic assured tenancies are the default for English properties rather than a setting to find. Agreements are drafted with no fixed term, possession work runs through the Section 8 grounds with the notice period each one carries, rent increases are handled as annual Section 13 notices, and the registration duties are tracked per property as they come into force. Properties in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own regimes on the same account.
This page explains the law as it stands and is not legal advice. For a decision that turns on the facts of a particular tenancy, take advice.
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