Tenancy Setup & Management
Tenancy agreement template for UK landlords: what you need in 2026
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, fundamentally changing what a tenancy agreement must contain and how it operates. If you are looking for a tenancy agreement template to use for a new tenancy from May 2026 onwards, this guide explains what has changed, what your agreement must now include, the difference between a template and the government's required Written Statement of Terms, and where August fits in helping you manage the documentation.
What has changed for tenancy agreements from 1 May 2026?
From 1 May 2026, assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) no longer exist for new lettings in England. All new private residential tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies (APTs), open-ended, rolling agreements with no fixed end date. This is not optional or a matter of drafting: it is the law, regardless of what any tenancy agreement template says. A clause in a tenancy agreement purporting to set a fixed term is void from 1 May 2026, and using one carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000.
This has three immediate practical consequences for any template you use. First, your template must not contain a fixed end date. Second, it must not contain a contractual rent review clause, all rent increases now follow the statutory Section 13 notice process, once per year, using Form 4A. Third, for new tenancies from 1 May 2026, you must provide a Written Statement of Terms before the tenancy is signed, this can be incorporated into the tenancy agreement itself or provided as a separate document. Failure to do so is a civil penalty offence.
For existing tenancies that converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026: you do not need to reissue or rewrite your existing agreement. The legislation converted all ASTs automatically. You must, however, serve the government's official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 on every named tenant by 31 May 2026, or face a fine of up to £7,000. This sheet must be downloaded from GOV.UK and provided as a PDF, you cannot send a link or paraphrase it.
Why a generic downloadable template carries more risk than it used to
Before May 2026, a broadly compliant AST template from a reputable source was a reasonable starting point for most straightforward lettings. The market for template agreements, from the Lawpack, and various solicitors, was well established.
Post-May 2026, the picture is more complicated. The new statutory instrument, the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, sets out mandatory terms that all new APT agreements must contain. These include specific mandatory information about possession grounds, rent increase procedures, pet requests, and the new rights framework. A template that predates May 2026, or that has not been updated to reflect the new regime, will be non-compliant by default. Landlords using an outdated AST template for a new tenancy from 1 May 2026 risk both legal unenforceability of certain clauses and civil penalties.
Our strong advice is to use a template that has been explicitly updated for the post-Renters' Rights Act regime and verified by a solicitor or specialist landlord organisation. The NRLA has published new APT-compliant agreements specifically updated for May 2026. GOV.UK has also published the new assured tenancy forms, these were available from 1 May 2026 on the assured tenancy forms page.
What a compliant tenancy agreement must contain from May 2026
The mandatory Written Statement of Terms for new APTs must include all of the following before the tenancy is agreed. This can be contained within a full tenancy agreement document.
Landlord and property details: Full name, address, and contact details for the landlord or their managing agent. The full address of the rented property.
Tenancy start date and type: The start date of the tenancy and confirmation that it is an assured periodic tenancy with no fixed end date. The rental period, typically monthly in line with rent payment frequency.
Rent amount and payment terms: The rent amount, payment frequency, payment date, and method. Under the Renters' Rights Act, landlords cannot request more than one month's rent in advance for any tenancy starting from 1 May 2026. Rent periods cannot exceed one calendar month. See our rent payment term calculator for converting between payment frequencies.
Deposit details: The deposit amount (capped at five weeks' rent for annual rent under £50,000, or six weeks above that threshold), and the name of the government-approved tenancy deposit scheme in which it will be protected. The deposit must be protected within 30 days of receipt.
Rent increase procedure: Confirmation that rent can only be increased via the Section 13 procedure using the new Form 4A, once per year, with at least two months' notice. Contractual rent review clauses are void, do not include them.
Possession grounds: The agreement should set out that possession can only be obtained under the statutory grounds for possession under the Renters' Rights Act, and that Section 21 no-fault eviction is no longer available.
Notice periods: Tenants must give a minimum of two months' notice to end the tenancy. Landlords must use the appropriate Section 8 ground and notice period, ranging from two weeks to four months depending on the ground relied upon. See our Section 8 notices guide for the full breakdown.
Obligations of both parties: The repairing obligations of the landlord (covering structure, installations, heating, and hot water under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985), and the tenant's obligations regarding care of the property, prompt reporting of repairs, and use of the property.
Permitted payments: A statement of which payments are permitted under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 , the deposit, rent, holding deposit (capped at one week's rent), and any default payments permitted under the Act.
Pet requests: The agreement should acknowledge the tenant's statutory right to make a written pet request under the Renters' Rights Act, which the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse and must respond to within 28 days.
How to Rent guide: Confirmation that the current version of the How to Rent guide has been provided. This remains a legal requirement and failure to serve the current version can affect your ability to recover possession.
Periodic, rolling, and statutory periodic: what these terms mean in 2026
Before May 2026, landlords and tenants had to distinguish between a contractual periodic tenancy (where the tenancy was agreed as periodic from the start), a statutory periodic tenancy (which arose automatically when a fixed term expired and the tenant stayed on), and a fixed-term tenancy. Each had different notice period rules.
From 1 May 2026, this distinction has largely collapsed for private residential lettings. All new tenancies are periodic assured tenancies from the outset. All existing ASTs have converted to periodic assured tenancies. The terms "rolling tenancy agreement", "periodic tenancy agreement", and "assured periodic tenancy" all now refer to the same type of arrangement. Notice periods for tenants are a statutory minimum of two months regardless of what a contract says. Notice periods for landlords are set by the ground being relied upon under Section 8.
What about Wales?
If your property is in Wales, the Renters' Rights Act does not apply. Wales operates under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which introduced its own system of occupation contracts in December 2022. Welsh landlords use standard occupation contracts rather than ASTs or APTs, and the documentation requirements differ significantly. This article covers England only. Always confirm which framework applies to your property.
How August helps you manage tenancy documentation
August's document storage feature allows you to upload your tenancy agreement and all associated documents, the Information Sheet, prescribed information, How to Rent guide, gas safety certificate, EICR, and EPC, against the relevant property and tenancy. August's AI scanning reads uploaded tenancy agreements and auto-fills key tenancy details, including start date, rent amount, and tenant names, removing manual data entry. The compliance journey tracks whether all required documents have been served and prompts you before renewal deadlines. Documents can be shared directly with tenants through the August app.
August does not provide legal document drafting services and does not supply tenancy agreement templates. For a compliant APT agreement updated for the post-Renters' Rights Act regime, use a solicitor-verified template from a reputable source such as the NRLA or a specialist landlord legal provider.
Also see: Periodic tenancy · Statutory periodic tenancy · Tenancy agreement dictionary entry · How to Rent guide · Section 8 notices guide · What a good tenancy agreement should include · What to do from 1 May 2026 · Tenancy deposit scheme · Renters' Rights Act hub · Free landlord resources · Rent payment term calculator · Document management feature
Disclaimer: This article is a guide only and is not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Tenancy law changed significantly from 1 May 2026 and continue to evolve. Always ensure your tenancy agreement is reviewed by a qualified solicitor or specialist landlord legal service before use. August does not provide legal advice and accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this content.
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August Team
The August editorial team lives and breathes rental property. They work closely with a panel of experienced landlords and industry partners across the UK, turning real-world portfolio and tenancy experience into clear, practical guidance for small landlords.
