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If your tenancy runs past 2026, don't get too hung up on the fixed end date. From 1 May 2026, that date will no longer matter for most private rented tenancies in England.
The government's guide to the Renters' Rights Act says:
"On this date the new tenancy system will apply to all private tenancies, existing tenancies will convert to the new system, and any new tenancies signed on or after this date will also be governed by the new rules. Existing fixed terms will be converted to periodic tenancies, and landlords will no longer be able to serve new section 21 or old-style section 8 notices to evict their tenants."
The point is simple. The tenancy does not end on 1 May 2026. The rules change.
Under the Renters' Rights Act from 1 May 2026, existing fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies automatically become rolling periodic tenancies. You do not need a new agreement.
It is the same tenancy. Same property, same parties, same rent unless something is lawfully changed.
ASTs also stop being a separate category. Existing assured shorthold tenancies become assured periodic tenancies (APTs).
So if a fixed term says it ends in September 2026, that date does not give you possession on its own. After 1 May, you have to use the new rules.
From 1 May 2026, you cannot serve a section 21 notice.
That is the end of the no-fault route. If you want possession after commencement, you need a valid section 8 ground.
Amended ground 1, for a landlord or family member moving in, and new ground 1A, for sale, cannot be used during the first 12 months of the tenancy. Check the tenancy's age before relying on either one. Those grounds also have strict no-marketing or re-letting rules for at least 16 months to 2 years.
Tenants can still leave by giving two months' written notice, ending on a rent due date unless the parties have agreed to a shorter period.
From 1 May 2026, rent review clauses in existing agreements no longer work. Any increase has to go through section 13.
The government guide says:
"Landlords will be able to increase rents once per year to the market rate, the price that would be achieved if the property were newly advertised to let. To do this, they will need to serve a simple 'section 13' notice, setting out the new rent and giving at least 2 months' notice of it taking effect."
So the rule is: one increase a year, at least two months' notice, Form 4A, market rent only, and the tenant can challenge it at the tribunal.
For any tenancy created on or after 1 May 2026, landlords and agents must give the tenant certain written information about the key terms of the assured periodic tenancy before the tenancy is agreed.
The required details can be included in the tenancy agreement itself, or given in a separate document.
This is not optional, admin. If the required written information is not given, the tenant can complain to the local council, and the penalty can be up to £7,000.
Where there is an agent, both the landlord and the agent (the contractor) should provide a statement containing the required information.
A lot of landlords are focusing on possession and missing the admin they need to deal with first. Existing tenants with written tenancy agreements must be given the official government Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
The government's written information guidance says:
"If you already have a written tenancy agreement for an existing tenancy, or any written record of the tenancy's terms, then you do not need to provide this information. Instead, you must give your tenants a government-produced document, called the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, that tells them how changes being made by the Renters' Rights Act might affect the tenancy. This has been published online, and you have until 31 May 2026 to give it to your existing tenants."
It is a real legal duty, and the penalty can be up to £7,000.
There is one extra point for student lets. If you let to full-time students and may need ground 4A, the required written notice must be served by 31 May 2026. The Guild will publish a combined information sheet and ground 4A statement for subscribers as a PDF.
Use the official government PDF. Send it as a PDF attachment or hand it over in hard copy. Do not send only a link.
If an agent manages the property, the agent must provide it, in addition to the landlord.
If the tenancy is oral rather than written, the information sheet is not the right document. Those tenants need a written statement instead.
There is one important transitional point.
If a section 21 notice was served before 1 May 2026, the old rules still apply to the possession claim, and the tenancy remains assured shorthold. The same point applies to section 8 notices served before commencement, and to claims already issued.
The word that matters is served, not drafted.
If the notice was not served before 1 May 2026, it does not fall within the transitional rules.
Review every tenancy that will still be running on 1 May 2026. If your possession plan depends on section 21, that needs to be acted on soon. If you are relying on a rent review clause for increases after 1 May, switch to section 13.
Between 1 and 31 May 2026, ensure the official information sheet is sent to the tenants. A link is not enough. It has to be the PDF or a paper copy. If there's an agent, ensure there are information sheets from both the landlord and the agent.
From 1 May, use the new assured periodic tenancy written statement, which must contain all the required information and terms.
So yes, the tenancy carries on. Just not on the same terms.
For more information on all parts of the Renters' Rights Act, keep an eye on our Renters' Rights Act Hub page, which is constantly updated.