Tenancy agreements for UK landlords: types, key terms and 2026 rules

A tenancy agreement is the contract that sets out the terms on which a tenant rents a property from a landlord. For a full definition, see the tenancy agreement dictionary entry. This guide is the practical overview for landlords, including the types of tenancy agreement you can grant in England in 2026, the key terms a good agreement should include, and how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changed the rules from 1 May 2026. For a copy-ready breakdown of what a compliant agreement must contain, see our tenancy agreement template guide.

The main types of tenancy agreement in 2026

The single biggest change is that the assured shorthold tenancy, the standard letting contract for more than thirty years, can no longer be granted for new lettings in England. The types that matter now are these.

The assured periodic tenancy is the default for almost every private residential let from 1 May 2026. It is open-ended and rolls from one rent period to the next, with no fixed end date.

The assured shorthold tenancy is the legacy contract. It can no longer be created for new lettings, and every existing AST converted automatically to an assured periodic tenancy on 1 May 2026. The wider assured tenancy category still frames the law, but in practice new private lets are periodic.

Several arrangements sit outside the assured tenancy regime entirely and are therefore unaffected by most of these changes. A lodger who shares living space with a resident landlord has a licence to occupy rather than a tenancy. A company let, where the tenant is a business rather than an individual occupying their only or main home, is not an assured tenancy, and nor is a tenancy where the annual rent exceeds £100,000. These lettings outside the assured regime are contractual tenancies, governed by common law rather than the Housing Act 1988. A small number of older lets remain regulated tenancies under the Rent Act 1977.

If your property is in Wales, none of the above applies. Wales uses occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which is a separate system.

What a tenancy agreement should include

Whatever template you use, a good tenancy agreement records the terms both parties are relying on, so that expectations are clear and disputes are easier to resolve. At a minimum it should cover the names and contact details of the landlord and all tenants, the address of the property, and the start date and type of tenancy.

It should set out the rent and payment terms: the amount, the frequency, the date due and the method. It should record the deposit, namely the amount, capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 or six weeks above that, and the scheme in which it is protected. It should state the rent increase procedure, which for assured periodic tenancies is the statutory route only. It should describe the repairing obligations of each party, the tenant’s responsibilities for looking after the property, the position on subletting and on keeping pets, and how the tenancy can be ended on each side.

For the precise list of mandatory terms a new 2026 agreement must contain, and where to obtain a compliant document, use the tenancy agreement template guide, which sets the contents out in full.

How the Renters’ Rights Act changed tenancy agreements

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026 and reshaped what a tenancy agreement can say and how it operates. The key points for the agreement itself are as follows.

Tenancies are periodic, not fixed. A clause purporting to grant a fixed term has no effect, and attempting to let on a fixed term carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000.

A written statement of terms is required up front. For a new tenancy, section 16D of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the 2025 Act, requires the landlord to give the tenant a written statement of the key terms before the tenancy is entered into, not at some point afterwards. The detail of what the statement must contain was confirmed in regulations in March 2026.

Rent increases follow one route. Contractual rent review clauses no longer have effect, and rent can only be increased through the statutory Section 13 process, once a year, with at least two months’ notice.

Rent in advance is limited. A landlord cannot require more than one month’s rent in advance for a tenancy starting from 1 May 2026, and cannot take any payment before the agreement is signed.

No-fault eviction has gone. Section 21 is abolished, so possession requires a Section 8 notice on a statutory ground, while tenants can end the tenancy on two months’ notice. For the full set of deadlines, possession grounds and penalties that came with the Act, see our guide to the changes after the Renters’ Rights Act.

Existing tenancies and new tenancies

For tenancies already running on 1 May 2026, you do not need to reissue the agreement, because the conversion to a periodic tenancy happened automatically. Where the tenancy is wholly or partly in writing, you must give the tenant the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026; where the tenancy is wholly oral, you must instead provide a written statement of the key terms by that date.

For new tenancies, the position is simpler: use a compliant assured periodic tenancy agreement, give the written statement of terms before the tenancy begins, and protect the deposit within 30 days. The template guide covers exactly what that agreement should contain.

How August helps you manage tenancy agreements

August does not draft agreements, but it keeps the paperwork around them in order. The document storage feature holds the signed agreement and the documents that sit alongside it against the right property and tenancy, and its scanning reads an uploaded agreement to auto-fill the start date, rent and tenant names. The compliance checklist tracks whether each required document has been served and prompts you before deadlines, which matters most in the window when Information Sheets and written statements fall due.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of tenancy agreement in 2026?

For new private lets in England, the assured periodic tenancy is now effectively the only option, and all former assured shorthold tenancies have converted to it. Lodger arrangements, company lets, lets above £100,000 a year and a small number of older regulated tenancies sit outside the assured regime, and Wales uses occupation contracts under its own legislation.

What should a tenancy agreement include?

At a minimum: the landlord and tenant details, the property address, the start date and type of tenancy, the rent and payment terms, the deposit and the scheme protecting it, the rent increase procedure, repairing obligations, and how the tenancy can be ended. Our template guide lists the mandatory terms a 2026 agreement must contain.

Is a tenancy agreement the same as a lease?

In everyday use the terms overlap, but a “lease” usually describes a longer or commercial arrangement, while “tenancy agreement” is the standard term for a residential let. What matters legally is the type of tenancy created and the terms it contains, not the label on the document.

Can I change a tenancy agreement after it has started?

Only by agreement with the tenant, except where the law sets the procedure. Rent, for example, can only be increased through the statutory Section 13 route rather than by amending the contract, and any clause that conflicts with the Renters’ Rights Act has no effect even if both parties signed it.

This article is a guide only and is not legal advice. Tenancy law changed significantly on 1 May 2026 and continues to evolve, so always have your tenancy agreement reviewed by a qualified solicitor or specialist landlord legal service before use. August accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this content.