What a tenancy agreement is
A tenancy agreement is a contract between you and your tenant.
It sets out the legal terms and conditions of the tenancy and allows the tenant to live in the property as long as they pay rent and follow the rules.
Assured periodic tenancies
From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act has converted all existing assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) into assured periodic tenancies. New tenancy agreements are assured periodic tenancies.
You can no longer set an end date in a tenancy agreement. Any existing end dates in your tenancy agreements no longer apply.
Assured periodic tenancies run on a rolling basis, either weekly or monthly. It is not possible for them to be longer than a month at a time.
This means that the tenancy will continue until:
- you and the tenant decide together to end the tenancy
- the tenant decides to end the tenancy, with tenants able to give two months' notice
- you take back possession of the property
Written information about the tenancy
From 1 May 2026, you must give tenants a written record of the specific terms of the new tenancy. You must do this before you and your tenant sign a tenancy agreement, or otherwise agree the tenancy.
For most tenancies that started before 1 May 2026, you do not need to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreements. You need to send your tenants a copy of the government-produced information sheet. You have until 31 May 2026 to send this to all your tenants
If you agreed the tenancy verbally before 1 May 2026 and you do not have a written record, you must give the tenant a written record of specific terms of the agreement.
Resident landlord tenancy
A resident landlord tenancy is where:
- you live in the same property as the tenant
- you have occupied the property for the duration of the tenancy
- the property is your principal home
pdf What is a Resident Landlord Tenancy?(41 KB)
pdf Notice to quit for Resident Landlord Tenancies(51 KB)
Regulated tenancies
This is where a tenancy began before 15 January 1989.
- You cannot evict the tenant unless you get a possession order from the courts.
- If the tenant dies, his or her spouse will normally take over the regulated tenancy.
- You or the tenant can apply to the rent officer for a fair rent to be registered.
- Once a rent is registered it's the maximum you can charge until it's reviewed or cancelled.
Joint tenancies
This is where two or more people agree to take on one tenancy. It is popular amongst friends as opposed to partners.
- There is always one tenancy, one rent and one deposit. The group of people are effectively acting together to be the tenant.
- The group take joint responsibility for ensuring that all obligations relating to the tenancy are met, including payment of rent and damages.