Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement
The replacement for the Assured Shorthold Tenancy. Use this for every new tenancy agreement created on or after 1 May 2026.
Renters' Rights Act 2025, Part 1
Start your tenancy agreement →Updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 · Effective 1 May 2026
Every document a UK landlord needs after 1 May 2026.
On 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act abolishes Section 21, ends fixed-term tenancies, and replaces the Assured Shorthold Tenancy with a new statutory framework. Bracton has every document you need to stay compliant — drafted by UK solicitors, cited to the legislation, with every clause explained in plain English.
What landlords should do now
- ✔ Review your tenancy structure ahead of 1 May 2026
- ✔ Understand the new possession grounds under Section 8
- ✔ Prepare compliant notices and documentation
⚖ Drafted by UK solicitors · 📜 Cited to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 · ⏱ Quick completion · 🔒 Secure checkout and instant access
Free resource
The Landlord's Guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Everything UK landlords need to know about the largest private rented sector reform in a generation — the new tenancy framework, possession grounds, rent rules, and compliance obligations. Published April 2026.
The countdown
Three dates every UK landlord needs in their diary.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received royal assent on 27 October 2025. Its core tenancy reforms commence on 1 May 2026, and the transition window is shorter than most landlords realise. Civil penalties for non-compliance start at £7,000 for a first breach and rise to £40,000 for repeat or ongoing offences. The dates below are the ones that determine whether your existing paperwork is still legal.
30 April 2026 — last day to serve a valid Section 21 notice
After this date no new Section 21 notice can lawfully be served. Notices served on or before 30 April remain valid until they expire or proceedings conclude, but the door closes at midnight.
1 May 2026 — commencement day
Every existing Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England automatically converts into an Assured Periodic Tenancy. Fixed terms are extinguished. Section 21 ceases to exist as a route to possession. Landlords must use the revised Section 8 grounds, with new notice periods and evidential requirements.
31 July 2026 — final date to issue Section 21 proceedings
Any Section 21 notice that has not been the subject of issued possession proceedings by this date lapses entirely. After 31 July 2026 no court will accept a Section 21 claim, regardless of when the notice was originally served.
What's changing
Five changes that affect every active tenancy in England.
Most coverage of the Renters' Rights Act focuses on the abolition of Section 21. That is the headline change but it is not the only one, and for landlords with active tenancies it may not even be the most disruptive. Below is the practical summary of what the Act actually does on the day it commences.
ASTs become Assured Periodic Tenancies
Every existing Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England converts automatically into an Assured Periodic Tenancy on 1 May 2026. No new agreement is needed for existing tenants — the conversion happens by operation of law. But any new tenancy entered into on or after 1 May 2026 must be created on the new statutory footing from the outset. The old AST template cannot be used.
Fixed terms are abolished
It is no longer possible to create a tenancy for a fixed period. All tenancies will run on a rolling periodic basis, usually monthly. Any clause in a new tenancy purporting to fix a term is void and may attract a civil penalty for the landlord. Existing fixed terms come to an immediate end on 1 May regardless of what the original agreement says.
Section 21 is abolished
From 1 May 2026 there is no route to possession that does not require a stated ground. Every notice must be a Section 8 notice citing one of the revised grounds in Schedule 2 of the Act. Bracton has individual templates for each of the most-used grounds, including the new mandatory grounds for landlords intending to sell or move in.
Section 8 grounds are revised and expanded
The Act introduces new mandatory grounds (notably Ground 1A — intent to sell, and Ground 1 — landlord or family moving in), revises the rent arrears ground, and extends the notice period for several existing grounds to four months. Crucially, the new grounds for selling or moving in cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy. For tenancies that began before 1 May 2026, the 12-month protected period runs from the original tenancy start date and does not reset on commencement.
New landlord obligations
Every existing tenant must be served the government Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. New tenants must receive a written statement of key terms before the tenancy begins. A new offence of 'knowingly or recklessly misusing a possession ground' can attract a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years' rent. Local authority enforcement powers are significantly expanded, so every landlord notice should be prepared with compliant evidence.
Need to apply this in practice?
Generate compliant tenancy documents →The documents
Built for the new framework, drafted by UK solicitors.
Each document below has been drafted by Blackwell Advisory specifically for the post-1 May 2026 framework. Every clause is cited to the relevant section of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 or the Housing Act 1988 as amended.
Looking for the right template before you issue notice?
See the landlord document library →Section 8 Notice — Ground 1A (Intent to Sell)
The mandatory ground for landlords selling the property. Four months' notice. Cannot be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy, and the right Section 8 notice wording matters.
Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2, Ground 1A (as inserted by RRA 2025)
Start your Ground 1A notice →Section 8 Notice — Ground 1 (Landlord or Family Moving In)
The mandatory ground for landlords or close family members moving into the property. Four months' notice. Cannot be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy.
Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2, Ground 1 (as amended by RRA 2025)
Start your Ground 1 notice →Why Bracton
Three reasons free templates will fail you in 2026.
Currency
Every free template currently circulating online was written for the pre-2026 framework. A free template that was perfectly valid in March can void your possession claim in May. Bracton documents are drafted to the current statute and re-reviewed when the law changes.
Statutory anchoring
Free templates rarely cite the legislation they are supposed to comply with. That makes them impossible to verify and dangerous to rely on in a possession hearing. Every Bracton clause is cited to the specific section of the Renters' Rights Act or the Housing Act as amended.
A solicitor on the other end
If your circumstances are unusual, or if a tenant disputes the notice, you can escalate to a fixed-fee solicitor review through Blackwell Advisory. Free template providers cannot offer this.
Property documents under the Renters' Rights Act 2025
Below is the full library of property documents available on Bracton, organised by when in the tenancy lifecycle you are likely to need them. Every document is drafted by a UK solicitor and updated to comply with the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Creating a new tenancy
- Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement — The new statutory tenancy structure that replaces the AST from 1 May 2026.
- Tenancy Application Form — Pre-tenancy application form for prospective tenants, suitable for referencing.
- Guarantor Agreement — Deed of guarantee for residential tenancy obligations.
- Inventory and Schedule of Condition — Check-in inventory and condition record. Recommended at the start of every tenancy to support deposit deductions later.
Compliance and admin
- Tenancy Deposit Prescribed Information — Statutory prescribed information that must be served on the tenant within 30 days of receiving a deposit.
- Gas Safety Record Cover Letter — Cover letter for serving the annual Gas Safety Record on a tenant. Failure to serve bars Section 8 Ground 8 claims.
- How to Rent — Acknowledgement of Receipt — Tenant acknowledgement that the government How to Rent guide has been served. Required to preserve possession routes.
Rent changes
- Section 13 Rent Increase Notice — Form 4A statutory notice for increasing rent under an Assured Periodic Tenancy. The only valid route to increase rent post-RRA.
Ending a tenancy (Section 8 grounds)
- Section 8 Notice — Ground 1 (Landlord or Family Occupation) — Mandatory ground. Four months' notice. Cannot be used in first 12 months.
- Section 8 Notice — Ground 1A (Intent to Sell) — Mandatory ground. Four months' notice. Cannot be used in first 12 months. Cannot re-let for 12 months after.
- Section 8 Notice — Ground 8 & 10 (Rent Arrears) — Ground 8 is mandatory if at least three months' rent is unpaid at the date of notice and hearing. Two weeks' notice.
- Section 8 Notice — Ground 14 (Anti-Social Behaviour) — Discretionary ground. Notice can be served immediately. Court weighs the seriousness of conduct against tenant circumstances.
Related guides
- Section 21 has been abolished — what to do instead — Full guide to the abolition of Section 21 and the decision tree for choosing the right Section 8 ground.
- UK tenancy agreement template guide
- Section 8 notice templates — all grounds
Common questions
What landlords ask about the transition.
No. Existing tenancies convert by operation of law. You do, however, need to serve every existing tenant the government Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 — a free document published by MHCLG and available on gov.uk.
Reviewed by Connor Griffiths, Solicitor — Blackwell Advisory (SRA No. 821297)
Last updated: 13 April 2026
Ready when you are
The deadline is real. The documents are ready.
Start with the document most landlords need first — the Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement.
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