Periodic tenancy default: the tenant transition guide for converted assured shorthold tenancies (RRA Day 5, May 2026)
Most existing assured shorthold tenancies in England converted to assured periodic tenancies at midnight on 1 May 2026. Your fixed term has effectively ended; your notice rights have changed; the landlord's eviction route has changed too. This is the tenant transition guide: what changed at midnight, what your old clauses still mean, the 6-step walkthrough if you want to leave, and the 6-step walkthrough if your landlord wants you to leave.
At one minute past midnight on 1 May 2026, millions of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies in England quietly converted into assured periodic tenancies. Same keys, same neighbours - but the legal shape of your tenancy changed. If you woke up on Friday unsure what that means for you, this is the guide.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025, commenced on 1 May 2026, abolishes fixed-term ASTs and replaces them with a single rolling periodic default. The GOV.UK Information Sheet 2026 covers the headlines but stops short of telling a sitting tenant how to use the new framework. This post fills the gap.
What actually changed at midnight on 1 May 2026
Three things changed in the legal shape of your tenancy:
- Your fixed term ended early. Whatever end date was written on your agreement, the fixed term ceased to exist. From 1 May you have an assured periodic tenancy that rolls in line with however your rent is paid.
- Your notice rights changed. You can now end the tenancy with 2 months' written notice in line with the rent period (RRA 2025, s.11). Your landlord can no longer wait for the fixed term to expire - they must serve a Section 8 notice citing a valid ground (ss.79-82 RRA 2025).
- Section 21 'no-fault' eviction is gone. Possession now flows through Section 8 grounds only.
Source: GOV.UK Information Sheet 2026 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026. The conversion was automatic - no form to sign, no fee to pay.
Before vs after: a side-by-side
| Topic | Fixed-term AST (pre-1 May) | Assured periodic (post-1 May) |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant ending the tenancy | Tied to the fixed term - early exit needed a break clause or surrender by agreement | 2 months' written notice in line with the rent period, any time |
| Landlord ending the tenancy | Section 21 'no-fault' notice or wait for fixed term to expire | Section 8 only - typically 4 months for the new mandatory grounds (1, 1A, 6) |
| Rent increases | Section 13 or contractual review clause | Form 4A only, minimum 2 months' notice, max once per 12 months |
| Tribunal can set rent higher than landlord proposed | Yes (deterrent) | No (deterrent removed) |
| Old fixed-term clauses (minimum stay, break clauses, contractual reviews) | Generally enforceable | Largely unenforceable where they conflict with the periodic default |
| Pets | Landlord could refuse without reasons | Right to request - no unreasonable refusal |
| 12-month relet ban after Ground 1/1A possession | Did not exist | In force - breach can trigger a Rent Repayment Order |
A periodic tenancy is more flexible for tenants and more demanding for landlords. Same security of tenure, differently shaped.
If you want to leave: the 6-step tenant route
No reason required. No permission required. Just proper notice.
Step 1 - Decide. Once notice is served you cannot unilaterally retract it.
Step 2 - Write the notice. A short letter or email. State your name(s), the property address, that you are giving notice to end the assured periodic tenancy under s.11 RRA 2025, and the end date. That date must be at least 2 months from receipt and aligned with the end of a rent period.
Step 3 - Serve it and confirm receipt. Email if your tenancy permits, otherwise post (recorded delivery) or hand-deliver with a witness. Get receipt confirmed in writing - the 2-month clock runs from receipt.
Step 4 - Keep paying rent in full and on time. Rent is due up to the end-date. Stopping early turns a clean exit into arrears.
Step 5 - Plan the handover. Two weeks out: forwarding address, utility transfer, council tax notification, check-out inventory, photographs.
Step 6 - Check out and recover the deposit. Hand back the keys with a written record. Within 10 working days the landlord should propose any deductions; disputes go free through the deposit scheme (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS).
If your landlord wants you to leave: the 6-step tenant route
Step 1 - Read the notice carefully. Identify the ground number(s). Check the date served and the possession date sought. Photograph the notice and envelope.
Step 2 - Triage mandatory vs discretionary. Mandatory grounds (1, 1A, 6, 7, 7A, 8) require the court to order possession if proved. Discretionary grounds (9-17) require possession to also be reasonable. The category sets the shape of your defence.
Step 3 - Check the notice period. Typically 4 months for the new mandatory grounds, 4 weeks for arrears/breach grounds, 2 weeks for the most serious anti-social grounds. Short notice = procedurally defective.
Step 4 - Confirm deposit-protection compliance. For most Section 8 grounds the landlord must show the deposit was protected and the prescribed information given. Either missing = a powerful universal defence.
Step 5 - Get free legal advice within 7 days. Citizens Advice (0808 800 0099) or Shelter England (0808 800 4444).
Step 6 - If the landlord files at court, file a defence within 14 days. Cover procedural validity, deposit protection, reasonableness on discretionary grounds, and any disrepair counterclaim. The court can delay possession by up to 6 weeks where a quicker departure would cause serious hardship.
What about my old fixed-term clauses?
Your tenancy agreement still exists, but several clause types are now overridden by the periodic default:
- Minimum-stay clauses ('you must stay 12 months'). Largely unenforceable. The s.11 RRA 2025 right cannot be contracted out of.
- Break clauses. Redundant - the statutory route is available immediately.
- Contractual rent-review clauses. Largely overridden. Increases must go through Form 4A, max once per 12 months.
- Early-exit penalty clauses. Almost certainly unenforceable as penalties against the s.11 right.
- Pet refusal clauses. Now subject to the new pet-request right.
- Repair, behaviour, alterations, subletting clauses. Still enforceable.
If your landlord cites an old clause: does it conflict with the periodic default or a specific RRA right? If yes, the statute wins. If no, the contract still applies.
Three things you might hear from your landlord
'Your fixed term is still in force.' It isn't. The fixed term ended on 1 May 2026 by operation of law.
'You have to give me 4 months' notice.' You don't. Tenants give 2 months. Landlords give 4 months for the new mandatory grounds. The asymmetry is deliberate.
'Here's your rent increase letter.' Check it. Rent increases need a prescribed Form 4A notice, at least 2 months' lead time, max once per 12 months. If it is not on Form 4A, the increase is procedurally defective.
Frequently Asked Questions
+Did my fixed term really end on 1 May 2026, even though my agreement ran to next December?
Yes. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 converted existing fixed-term ASTs into assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. The end date on your old agreement no longer determines when the tenancy ends. From now on it continues until you or your landlord ends it through the new statutory routes.
+How much notice do I have to give to leave?
Two months, in writing, in line with your rent period (s.11 RRA 2025). If rent is paid monthly, the notice should expire at the end of a rent period at least 2 months from receipt. No reason needed and no permission required.
+What if my agreement contains a 12-month minimum stay or an early-exit penalty?
Largely unenforceable to the extent they conflict with your statutory right to end the periodic tenancy on 2 months' notice. Early-exit penalty clauses are particularly vulnerable. If a landlord is threatening to enforce one, take free legal advice through Citizens Advice or Shelter before paying anything.
+Can my landlord still raise the rent?
Yes, but only via a prescribed Form 4A notice with at least 2 months' lead time, and not more than once in any 12-month period. Tribunal determinations are no longer backdated and the tribunal cannot set rent higher than proposed. The free RentSOS check verifies whether a notice is procedurally valid in about two minutes.
+Can my landlord just decide they want me out?
No. Section 21 'no-fault' eviction is abolished. They must serve a Section 8 notice citing a valid ground from Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the RRA), with the notice period required for that ground. The new mandatory grounds (1, 1A, 6) require 4 months' notice and trigger a 12-month relet ban afterwards.
+Is my tenancy less secure now that the fixed term has gone?
Differently shaped, not less secure. Your landlord still cannot remove you without a valid Section 8 ground proved at court. In some respects security has improved: Section 21 is abolished, deposit-protection compliance is now a precondition for most possession orders, and tribunals can no longer set rent higher than the landlord proposed.
+I have not received any new paperwork from my landlord about the conversion. Is something wrong?
No. The conversion happened automatically - no form to sign and no new agreement to issue. Your existing agreement still functions as the underlying contract for everyday clauses. Landlords are required to provide written information about the new framework, but its absence does not invalidate or reverse the conversion.
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