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 written APT statement as a courtesy, but you are not legally required to — 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.