Periodic Tenancy Under the RRA: What It Means for Landlords Now

Periodic tenancy is now the default, and the only, shape an assured tenancy can take in England. Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026, fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies have gone, and every tenancy rolls on period to period until the tenant gives notice or the landlord proves a legal ground to end it. It is the single biggest structural change the Act makes to the landlord–tenant relationship, and it quietly rewrites how possession, notice periods, rent increases and forward planning all work. This guide explains what a periodic tenancy means in the new regime, how it differs from the old fixed-term model, and the practical mechanics every landlord needs to get right.

In Short

The new periodic tenancy at a glance

• All assured tenancies are periodic from the start, fixed terms are abolished.
• Existing tenancies converted automatically on 1 May 2026.
• Tenants can leave on two months' notice, at any time.
• Possession runs through Section 8 grounds only, Section 21 is gone.
• Rent rises once a year via a Section 13 notice; the tribunal can only confirm or reduce it.

Periodic tenancy under the RRA: the short answer

A periodic tenancy is a tenancy with no fixed end date that runs from one rent period to the next, typically month to month, continuing indefinitely until it is properly brought to an end. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, this is no longer just what a tenancy becomes after a fixed term expires; it is what every assured tenancy is from the very first day. Landlords can no longer lock a tenant into a six- or twelve-month fixed term, and tenants gain the freedom to leave on two months' notice. In exchange, the routes a landlord uses to raise rent or recover the property are now tightly defined by statute rather than by the tenancy agreement.

What a periodic tenancy actually means now

It helps to be precise, because the phrase "periodic tenancy" has changed meaning. Before the Act, a periodic tenancy was the rolling arrangement a tenancy fell into once its fixed term ended, a "statutory periodic tenancy" that continued month to month while the landlord decided whether to renew, re-let or serve notice. Plenty of landlords let that rolling state run for years. But it always began life as a fixed term.

After 1 May 2026 there is no fixed term to begin with. Every new assured tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy from the outset, with a period that matches how rent is paid, almost always monthly. There is no minimum commitment built into the tenancy itself; the security for the landlord comes not from a fixed term but from the limited, defined grounds on which possession can be sought. If you are searching for "periodic tenancy" expecting the older, end-of-fixed-term meaning, the important shift to absorb is that this is now the starting position for everyone, not a later phase.

For a London landlord, that reframes the whole relationship. You are no longer letting for "a year" with a break at renewal. You are letting on an open-ended basis, managing the tenancy continuously, and relying on correct process, not the calendar, to keep control.

Periodic vs fixed-term: what changed on 1 May 2026

The transition was automatic and universal. On 1 May 2026, every existing assured shorthold tenancy, including those still inside a fixed term, converted to an assured periodic tenancy by operation of law. Landlords did not have to issue a fresh agreement for the conversion to take effect, but they did have to give existing tenants written notice of the changes, and any new tenancy from that date is periodic from day one. The government's guide to the Renters' Rights Act sets out the conversion and the transitional steps in full.

The practical differences between the old and new models are worth setting out plainly:

• No fixed commitment. A tenant can no longer be tied in for a minimum term. They may leave at any point on two months' notice, even in what would once have been "month two" of a twelve-month let.
• No Section 21. The no-fault eviction route that landlords relied on to end a fixed term is abolished. Possession now requires a Section 8 ground.
• Rent reviews by statute. Fixed-term rent-review clauses no longer govern increases; the Section 13 procedure does, and it caps increases at one a year.
• Continuous, not cyclical. There is no renewal point in the calendar. The tenancy simply continues, which removes the annual "re-sign or leave" pressure point that shaped a lot of landlord planning.

How tenants end a periodic tenancy: two months' notice

Under the new framework a tenant can end an assured periodic tenancy by giving the landlord at least two months' notice in writing, and the notice cannot expire before the date on which rent is due. The landlord and tenant can agree a shorter period in writing if both want to, but two months is the statutory minimum a tenant is always entitled to rely on, as the government's Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants confirms. The tenant keeps paying rent throughout the notice period.

This is the part landlords feel most directly. A good, long-standing tenant now has the legal freedom to give notice whenever they choose. There is no lock-in to fall back on. In a liquid London market that is usually manageable, but it does mean voids can arrive with only two months' warning, and that re-letting readiness matters more than it did under fixed terms. The right response is operational, not legal: keep the property in lettable condition, maintain a relationship with the tenant so notice rarely comes as a surprise, and have marketing ready to move the moment notice lands.

How landlords regain possession: Section 8 grounds (no Section 21)

With Section 21 abolished on 1 May 2026, every possession claim now runs through Section 8, which requires the landlord to cite, and, for mandatory grounds, prove, a specific reason. The grounds split into mandatory grounds, where the court must grant possession if the ground is made out, and discretionary grounds, where the court weighs reasonableness. The full list and the notice attached to each is set out in the government's grounds for possession guidance. The ones London landlords meet most often are these:

• Ground 1, moving in. Where the landlord or a close family member intends to occupy the property. It requires four months' notice and cannot be used in the first twelve months of the tenancy.
• Ground 1A, selling. Where the landlord intends to sell. Also four months' notice, and likewise unavailable in the opening twelve months of the tenancy.
• Ground 8, serious rent arrears. A mandatory ground. The threshold rose under the Act from two to three months' arrears, which must be outstanding both when notice is served and at the hearing, and the notice period doubled to four weeks. Arrears caused by a delayed Universal Credit payment do not count.
• Grounds 10 and 11, other arrears and persistent late payment. Discretionary grounds for arrears below the Ground 8 threshold or a pattern of paying late, where the court decides whether possession is reasonable.
• Grounds 12–14, breach and anti-social behaviour. Discretionary grounds covering breaches of the tenancy and nuisance or anti-social conduct.

The headline change is that recovering a property now takes a genuine reason, proper evidence and a longer notice period than the old no-fault route. Serving the wrong notice, or worse, an invalid Section 21 after the cut-off, is not just ineffective; it can expose you to enforcement. The penalties attached to getting possession and other duties wrong are set out in our guide to Renters' Rights Act fines, which is essential reading alongside this one.

Rent increases under a periodic tenancy: Section 13 and the tribunal

Because there is no fixed term, the old approach of resetting the rent at renewal has gone. Rent on a periodic tenancy can now be increased in one way only: a Section 13 notice (Form 4A), served no more than once every twelve months, giving the tenant at least two months' notice before the new rent takes effect. Any rent-review clause that tries to raise rent more frequently, or to increase it automatically, is unenforceable under the new regime.

The change that catches landlords by surprise sits at the tribunal. A tenant who thinks a proposed increase is above market can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and under the Renters' Rights Act the tribunal can now only confirm or reduce the figure. It sets the new rent at the lower of the open-market rent and the amount the landlord proposed, and can no longer set it higher than the landlord asked for, as it occasionally did before. In practice that removes any deterrent against challenging: a tenant has nothing to lose by referring an increase to the tribunal. The sensible takeaway is to propose increases that are genuinely defensible against local market evidence, because an over-reach can only ever be trimmed back, never rewarded.

What periodic tenancies mean for landlord planning

None of these mechanics is unmanageable, but together they change how a landlord should plan. Three shifts matter most:

• Voids can arrive on two months' notice. Without a fixed term to anchor to, you cannot assume a tenant will stay to a renewal date. Re-letting readiness, décor, compliance, marketing, becomes a standing capability rather than an annual scramble, which is exactly the discipline that keeps void periods short.
• Rent reviews need a calendar and evidence. One increase a year, on the correct notice, defensible against market data. Missing the window or misjudging the figure has a real cost, so a scheduled, evidenced annual review beats ad-hoc rises.
• Tenant selection matters more than ever. When possession is harder and slower, the quality of the tenant you take on at the start carries more weight. Thorough referencing at the outset is the cheapest form of possession insurance there is.

For the wider context of what the Act changed, our overview of what the Renters' Rights Act means for London landlords and our review of the first six months under the Act sit alongside this mechanics-focused guide.

How AIHPG approaches this

At AIHPG, managing periodic tenancies is simply the standard way we run a let. There is no separate "new regime" service, because the new regime is how every tenancy now works. We handle the full tenancy lifecycle: serving compliant written terms and the information sheet at the start, managing tenant notice cleanly when it comes, and running rent reviews through the correct Section 13 route so a landlord never has to navigate Form 4A or the tribunal personally. Where possession is genuinely needed, we can advise on which Section 8 ground applies and what evidence it requires before anything is served.

And because we manage the tenancy continuously rather than at renewal points that no longer exist, the two-month-notice risk is met with two-month-notice readiness. If a periodic tenancy ends within your rental-period guarantee, we re-let at no additional letting fee. You can see how it fits together across our property management service, our service bundles, and the wider Included Difference.

Frequently asked questions about periodic tenancy under the RRA

What is a periodic tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act?

Since 1 May 2026 every assured tenancy in England is a periodic tenancy from the outset, a rolling tenancy with no fixed end date that continues period to period until the tenant gives notice or the landlord proves a ground for possession. Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies can no longer be created.

How much notice does a tenant give to leave a periodic tenancy?

A tenant must give at least two months' notice to end an assured periodic tenancy, and the notice cannot expire before the date rent is due. The landlord and tenant can agree a shorter period in writing, but two months is the statutory minimum the tenant is entitled to rely on.

Can a landlord still use a fixed-term tenancy after 1 May 2026?

No. Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies were abolished on 1 May 2026. Any tenancy granted on or after that date is periodic from day one, and existing fixed terms converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies. A clause purporting to lock a tenant into a fixed term is unenforceable.

How can a landlord regain possession without Section 21?

Possession now runs through Section 8 only. The landlord must serve notice citing a specific ground, such as Ground 1 or 1A to move in or sell, or Ground 8 for serious rent arrears, and, for mandatory grounds, prove it in court. Section 21 no-fault eviction was abolished on 1 May 2026.

How often can rent be increased under a periodic tenancy?

Rent can be increased once every twelve months, and only through a Section 13 notice (Form 4A) giving the tenant at least two months' notice before the new rent takes effect. Rent-review clauses that try to raise rent more often, or automatically, no longer work under the new regime.

Can a tenant challenge a rent increase, and can the tribunal raise the rent?

A tenant can challenge a Section 13 increase at the First-tier Tribunal. Under the Renters' Rights Act the tribunal can only confirm or reduce the proposed rent. It sets the new rent at the lower of the open-market rent and the amount the landlord proposed, and can no longer set it higher.

Did existing tenancies automatically become periodic?

Yes. On 1 May 2026 all existing assured shorthold tenancies, including those still inside a fixed term, converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies. Landlords did not need to issue a new agreement, but did need to give existing tenants written notice of the changes.

This guide is general information for landlords, not legal advice. Notice periods, possession grounds and rent-increase procedures are set by statute and can change, check the current gov.uk guidance, and for your specific situation consult a qualified property solicitor.