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Joint tenancy break clause walkthrough under the Renters' Rights Act periodic-by-default regime: the tenant playbook (RRA Day 9, May 2026)

Joint tenancies are the trickiest corner of the new Renters' Rights Act regime. One housemate can serve a notice to quit and end the tenancy for everyone under the long-standing Hammersmith and Fulham LBC v Monk rule. Break clauses still appear in pre-1-May-2026 agreements but landlords can no longer use them. This walkthrough is the tenant playbook: the headline rules from 1 May 2026, the four common scenarios (all leaving together, one leaving with the rest staying, all leaving with shorter notice, pre-RRA tenant break clause cases), and the four templates - one per scenario - that handle each properly.