Tenancy structure

Your AST Is Gone: What the Automatic Conversion to Periodic Tenancy Means

October 2026 · 8 min read · England private rented sector

For nearly forty years, the assured shorthold tenancy was the default unit of private renting in England. On 1 May 2026 it ceased to exist. Every AST running that day converted automatically into an assured periodic tenancy — no new contract, no re-signing, no action required from either side. Five months on, here's what that conversion actually did, what died with the old AST, and the handful of things landlords still need to fix.

What happened on 1 May 2026

Section 2 of the Renters' Rights Act removed the part of the Housing Act 1988 that created assured shorthold tenancies, and the Act's transitional provisions turned every existing AST into an assured periodic tenancy (APT) on the same day. The old agreement became an APT and is treated as a single, continuing tenancy. The rent, the property and the substance of the agreed terms carried across — but any term the Act banned simply stopped having effect, even though both parties had originally agreed to it.

What that means in practice: your tenancy didn't end and restart. Nothing needed re-signing, deposits didn't need re-protecting, and certificates didn't need re-issuing. The legal container changed shape around the tenancy while the tenancy itself continued.

What died with the AST

• Fixed terms. No new fixed-term assured tenancy can be created in England. Any fixed-term wording in an agreement granted since 1 May 2026 is ineffective — the tenancy is periodic regardless.
• Rent-review clauses. Contractual clauses allowing rent increases by agreement are void. The only lawful increase route is the statutory Section 13 process on Form 4A.
• Section 21. Abolished alongside the AST. There is no no-fault route left; every possession claim runs through Section 8 grounds.
• Blanket pet bans. Clauses prohibiting pets outright are now subject to the tenant's statutory right to request — see the 28-day pet rule.
• Non-standard rent periods. If an old agreement had rent payable quarterly or annually, the rent period normalised to monthly (or 28 days) under the statutory formula.

What you don't need to do

Let's clear up the busiest misconceptions, because landlords have spent money fixing things that didn't need fixing:

• You do not need to re-issue or "re-paper" existing tenancies. The conversion was automatic.
• You do not need to re-protect the deposit or re-serve the prescribed information for a converted tenancy.
• You do not need new EPCs, EICRs or gas certificates purely because of the conversion — the existing ones continue on their normal cycles.

What you do need to do

1. Retire old AST templates. Any template still offering a 6- or 12-month fixed term, a rent-review clause or a Section 21 reference is now actively misleading. Replace it with a periodic-tenancy agreement: tenancy period (monthly), rent amount, start date — no fixed end date. Note the minimum tenancy period is one month; you can't create a shorter periodic period.
2. Serve the Information Sheet where still outstanding. Converted tenancies needed the official government Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If any tenant didn't get it, serve it now — see the proof-of-service guide.
3. Provide written statements for oral tenancies. If any tenancy was wholly verbal before 1 May, it needs written key terms — the Information Sheet alone doesn't cover it.
4. Reset your rent-increase diary. Increases are now once per 52 weeks via Form 4A with two months' notice. Old review dates in your calendar are meaningless.
5. Plan for tenant mobility. Tenants can now end the tenancy with two months' notice at any time — even on day one. That 12-month fixed term that used to guarantee your cash flow is gone; void planning should assume shorter, less predictable tenancies.

Not legal advice. This guide is general information for private landlords in England, written in October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. Housing law changes — check GOV.UK's guide to the Renters' Rights Act and your local council before acting, and take professional advice on your own circumstances.