From 1 May 2026, every Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England auto-converts to an Assured Periodic Tenancy. No paperwork to file — the conversion is automatic. After conversion: Section 21 cannot be served, fixed-term clauses fall away, rent rises must use Section 13 (max once per 12 months), tenants gain a written pet-request right, and existing landlords must serve the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet on all existing tenants by 31 May 2026 or face up to £7,000 per breach.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 converts every existing AST into a periodic Assured Tenancy on 1 May 2026. There is no paperwork to file, the conversion is automatic. What changes is what you can and can't do from that day onward, and what you should tell your tenant to avoid confusion.
What converts automatically
- Fixed-term AST in year one or year two, fixed term falls away on 1 May 2026; tenancy continues as periodic.
- Statutory periodic that rolled on after a fixed term ended, already periodic; just reclassified as APT.
- AST with a break clause, break clause survives to 1 May 2026 but has no further effect after conversion.
What you lose on conversion
- The ability to serve a Section 21 notice. Every possession claim from 1 May must use a Section 8 ground.
- Any contractual rent-review clause outside Section 13. New rent rises use Section 13 only, one rise per 12-month window.
- Any tenancy-length lock-in. The tenant can leave on two months' notice at any time from day one of the APT.
What you gain
- A strengthened Ground 1 (landlord or family intends to occupy) and a new Ground 1A (landlord intends to sell).
- A four-month notice period for both Grounds 1 and 1A, with a 12-month tenancy minimum to prevent abuse.
- An amended Ground 8 rent-arrears threshold (three months' arrears at both service and hearing).
- Clearer ASB grounds (Ground 14) with a faster court route.
The tenant letter you should send in March 2026
Send every tenant a plain-English letter in March 2026 explaining: (a) that their tenancy automatically becomes periodic on 1 May 2026; (b) that their existing monthly rent, payment day and other terms continue; (c) that any fixed-term clause simply falls away, they do not need to sign anything; (d) that their deposit remains protected; (e) that your contact details are unchanged. Our Transition Pack contains the letter ready for your company name and tenant details.
The statutory conversion is automatic. You can re-issue a <a href='/shop/revised-written-statement-of-terms-transition'>Revised Written Statement of Terms</a> as a courtesy, but you are not legally required to. Use the free <a href='/tools/transition'>Transition Wizard</a> to check whether your tenancy needs one, and the old AST document continues to evidence the terms that survived conversion.
What happens if I already served a Section 21 before 1 May?
A valid Section 21 served before 1 May 2026 can still be relied upon if you issue proceedings within the six-month validity window and the court is persuaded that the notice was proper under the pre-commencement regime. Beware the cliff-edge: any defect in the original notice that surfaces after commencement cannot be cured by re-serving on or after 1 May, that route is gone.
Rent review timing
If your AST has a rent-review clause that triggers in 2026, time the trigger carefully. A review taking effect before 1 May 2026 can rely on the contractual clause. A review taking effect on or after 1 May 2026 must use the Section 13 statutory process. Our Section 13 calculator runs both timelines so you can pick the right path.