What Is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy? (What Replaced It in 2026)

Short answer: an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) was the standard private tenancy in England from 1997 until 1 May 2026. On that date the Renters’ Rights Act turned every existing AST in England into an assured periodic tenancy. You can no longer create a new AST in England. If you let property, your tenancies now run on a rolling basis with no end date, and you need a legal ground to take the property back.

This guide covers England. It is general information for landlords, not legal advice. Rules in Wales and Scotland are different (see below).

What an assured shorthold tenancy was

ASTs were created by the Housing Act 1988 and became the default private tenancy in 1997. A tenancy was usually an AST when:

• the tenant was an individual renting the property as their main home
• the landlord did not live in the property
• the tenancy started on or after 28 February 1997

Most ASTs started with a fixed term of six or twelve months, then either renewed or rolled into a periodic tenancy. The landlord could end the tenancy without giving a reason by serving a Section 21 notice, once the fixed term had ended.

That is why you will still see “AST” on older agreements, in mortgage conditions and in letting agent paperwork. The term describes how most tenancies in England were set up before May 2026.

What changed on 1 May 2026

The tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act took effect in England on 1 May 2026, according to gov.uk’s overview for landlords:

• Existing ASTs converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies. You did not need to sign anything new.
• New tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. They run on a rolling basis, such as monthly, and cannot have an end date.
• Section 21 “no fault” evictions are abolished. To take a property back you serve a Section 8 notice citing a legal ground for possession.
• Rent increases happen once a year at most. You propose them on Form 4A under Section 13, with at least two months’ notice. Tenants can challenge an increase above the open market rent.
• No rent before signing. You cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. After signing, you can ask for at most one month’s rent in advance (gov.uk overview for tenants).
• No bidding wars. Adverts must show an asking rent, and you cannot accept offers above it.
• Pets. Tenants can ask to keep a pet, and you can only refuse for a valid reason.
• No blanket bans. You cannot discriminate against prospective tenants because they receive benefits or have children.

AST vs assured periodic tenancy at a glance

Not every let is an assured tenancy. For lodgers, company lets and the other tenancy types that sit outside the assured regime, see our guide to the different types of tenancy in the UK. For more on how the Act came about, read our guide to the Renters’ Rights Bill.

What your tenancy agreement needs to cover now

For a new tenancy, you must give the tenant a written statement of key terms before the tenancy is agreed. gov.uk expects most landlords to put this information in a written tenancy agreement, though you can give it separately (gov.uk written information guidance). The minimum includes:

• Who and where: your name and a postal address in England or Wales for notices, every tenant’s name, and the property address
• Start date and rent: when the tenant can move in, how much the rent is and when it is due, and that any rent increase will use a Section 13 notice
• Bills and council tax: which bills are included in the rent. If the tenant pays you separately for council tax, utilities, a TV licence or broadband, list which bills, the amounts and the due dates
• Deposit: the amount, if you take one
• Notice: the tenant’s notice period (no more than two months) and how you can end the tenancy
• Repairs and safety: your repair duties for the structure, exterior and installations for water, gas, electricity, heating and hot water, plus your gas and electrical safety duties
• Pets: that the tenant can ask to keep a pet and you cannot unreasonably refuse

Most landlords also set out terms the law does not list but that prevent disputes:

• The repairs split: what you fix, and what the tenant handles day to day, such as changing light bulbs and keeping drains clear
• Subletting: that the tenant cannot sublet or take in lodgers without your written permission
• Access: how you will arrange visits for inspections and repairs

Landlord Studio’s free tenancy agreement for England is written for the Renters’ Rights Act and includes the written statement of terms, so you can start from a compliant document rather than an old AST.

Already have tenants? If your existing tenancy has a written agreement, you do not need to rewrite it. You had to give each tenant the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy was agreed verbally, you had to give the tenant the written terms by the same date.

Documents to give your tenant

Before or at the start of the tenancy, give the tenant:

• the written statement of terms, usually in the tenancy agreement
• a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• the current gas safety record, if there is a gas supply (checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer)
• the electrical safety report (inspected at least every five years)
• the deposit protection information, if you take a deposit

The government’s “How to Rent” guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. You do not need to give it for new tenancies.

Deposits

You can take a deposit of up to five weeks’ rent if the annual rent is under £50,000, or up to six weeks’ rent if it is £50,000 or more (gov.uk). You must protect it in a government-approved deposit protection scheme and give the tenant the scheme details within 30 days of receiving it.

This matters more than it used to. A court will only grant you possession if the deposit was protected and the required information given, or the deposit has been returned. Read our full guide to deposits and tenancy deposit schemes.

Your responsibilities as a landlord

• Keep the property safe and in repair. You are normally responsible for the structure and exterior, sinks, baths and other sanitary fittings, and the heating and hot water (gov.uk). The property must also be fit to live in.
• Carry out safety checks for gas and electrics on time, and give the tenant copies of the reports.
• Protect the deposit and give the tenant the details.
• Tell the tenant who you are. You can be fined if you do not give your name and address within 21 days of a tenant asking.

See our landlord legal requirements checklist for the full list.

Your right of access

You have a legal right to enter the property to inspect it or carry out repairs. You must give the tenant at least 24 hours’ notice and visit at a reasonable time of day. The exception is an emergency that needs immediate access, such as a gas leak or a burst pipe (gov.uk). Give notice in writing so you have a record. The tenant has the right to stay in the property while repairs are carried out.

Your tenant’s responsibilities

Under gov.uk’s guidance, the tenant must:

• pay the agreed rent, even if repairs are needed or you are in a dispute
• pay other agreed charges, such as council tax or utility bills
• take care of the property, for example turning the water off at the mains in cold weather
• repair or pay for damage caused by them, their family or their visitors
• only sublet if the tenancy agreement or you allow it
• give you access for inspections and repairs, when you give proper notice

Ending a tenancy

There are now three ways a tenancy ends.

1. The tenant gives notice. A tenant can end an assured periodic tenancy with two months’ written notice. They must keep paying rent until the notice ends.

2. You agree to end it (surrender). You and the tenant can agree to end the tenancy earlier. Put the agreed end date in writing and have both sides sign it, so there is no dispute later about whether the tenancy ended.

3. You serve a Section 8 notice. Since Section 21 was abolished, you need a legal ground for possession, such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, damage to the property, or wanting to sell or move in. The main rules are:

• For many grounds the notice period is four months. Some are shorter. For antisocial behaviour you can apply to court straight away.
• You cannot use the selling or moving in grounds in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
• For rent arrears, a court has to grant possession only if the tenant owes at least three months’ rent. Below that, the court can decide whether the tenant stays.
• If the tenant has not left when the notice ends, you must apply to court for a possession order. Never change the locks or remove the tenant yourself.

Read our guides to Section 8 notices and handling late rent before you serve anything. If you are unsure which ground applies, take advice from a solicitor first. A notice with the wrong ground or notice period can be thrown out.

Wales and Scotland

• Wales: ASTs were replaced by occupation contracts on 1 December 2022, under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Tenants are now called contract-holders.
• Scotland: Scotland never used ASTs. New private lets have been private residential tenancies since 1 December 2017.

How Landlord Studio helps

Rolling tenancies mean more dates to track and more records to keep. Landlord Studio’s property management and accounting software helps you:

• store tenancy agreements, written statements, certificates and deposit details for every property in one place
• track rent and see arrears at a glance with rental accounting, so you know where you stand before you consider a Section 8 notice
• log maintenance requests from tenants and keep a record of when you gave notice of access
• set reminders for gas safety checks, EICRs, EPC renewals and your once-a-year rent review

Starting a new let? Use our tenancy agreement for the Renters’ Rights Act.

Frequently asked questions

Are assured shorthold tenancies still valid?

Not in England. On 1 May 2026, every existing AST in England became an assured periodic tenancy, and new ASTs can no longer be created. The tenancy itself continues: the tenant does not need to move out or sign a new agreement.

Do I need a new tenancy agreement for existing tenants?

Not if the tenancy already had a written agreement. You needed to give the tenant the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. Any parts of the old agreement that conflict with the new law, such as a fixed end date, no longer apply.

Can I still use my old AST agreement?

Not for a new tenancy in England. Old AST templates include fixed terms, Section 21 wording and rent review clauses that no longer apply, and they miss the written statement of terms you now have to give. Start from a tenancy agreement written for the Renters’ Rights Act instead.

Can a landlord enter the property without notice?

Only in a genuine emergency. Otherwise you must give at least 24 hours’ notice and visit at a reasonable time of day.

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