Assured periodic tenancy (APT)

An assured periodic tenancy (APT) is the default type of residential tenancy in the private rented sector in England from 1 May 2026, created by Section 1 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which inserted a new Section 4A into the Housing Act 1988. An APT has no fixed end date. It runs on a rolling basis, typically monthly in line with rent payment frequency, until either the tenant or the landlord brings it to an end through the correct legal process. All assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in existence on 1 May 2026 converted to APTs automatically on that date, as confirmed by GOV.UK guidance for landlords. It is no longer possible to create an AST or grant a fixed-term private residential tenancy; doing so risks a civil penalty of up to £7,000.

What qualifies as an assured periodic tenancy?

A tenancy is an APT under Section 4A of the Housing Act 1988 if all of the following apply. The tenant is one or more individuals (not a company); the property is the tenant's only or principal home; the tenant has exclusive possession; the landlord does not live in the property; the annual rent is above £250 (£1,000 in Greater London) and below £100,000; and the property is not purpose-built student accommodation falling within the Section 32 Renters' Rights Act exemption. In practice, from working with self-managing landlords across the UK, August finds that virtually every standard private let now meets these criteria. Edge cases, lodger arrangements, company lets, holiday lets, agricultural tenancies, sit outside the APT framework.

Key features of an APT

An APT cannot have a fixed end date. Any clause in a tenancy agreement purporting to impose one is void. The tenancy period, the interval at which it "turns over", cannot exceed one month. This means that even if rent is paid quarterly, the tenancy period itself runs monthly. Tenants can give two months' notice to end the tenancy at any time; that notice period can be shortened by written agreement but cannot be extended above two months. Landlords cannot require more than one month's rent in advance for new tenancies from 1 May 2026. Tenants have a statutory right to request a pet, and a landlord may only refuse on reasonable grounds.

How rent increases work under an APT

The only lawful way to increase rent on an APT is via a Section 13 notice using Form 4A, with at least two months' notice and no more than one increase per year. Contractual rent review clauses, common in older AST agreements, have no effect for periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026. Landlords cannot impose rent increases designed to force a tenant to leave; a tenant can challenge any proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which will assess whether it reflects the open market rent for the property. Landlords using August can track each Section 13 notice and its effective date against the tenancy record, keeping a clear audit trail if a tribunal challenge arises.

The Written Statement of Terms

For all new APTs entered into from 1 May 2026, the landlord must provide a Written Statement of Terms before the tenancy is signed. This requirement is set out in the Assured Tenancies (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026. The statement must include:

confirmation that the tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy with no fixed end date;
the tenancy start date and period;
the rent amount, payment date, and frequency;
deposit amount and the scheme in which it is protected; and
the rent increase procedure.

For existing ASTs that converted on 1 May 2026, landlords were not required to issue a new written statement but were required to serve the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 on each named tenant by 31 May 2026. Our guide to setting up an assured periodic tenancy in 2026 explains what the Written Statement of Terms must contain in full.

How an APT ends

A tenant ends an APT by serving at least two months' written notice, by letter, email, or text, expiring at the end of a rent period. A landlord cannot end an APT by notice alone. To recover possession, a landlord must serve a valid Section 8 notice citing one of the statutory grounds for possession under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. The Section 21 no-fault route is abolished and cannot be used for any tenancy from 1 May 2026 onward, regardless of when the tenancy was originally entered into. The notice period varies by ground: sale of property (Ground 1A) and landlord occupation (Ground 1) require four months' notice, while serious rent arrears (Ground 8) require four weeks. Grounds 1 and 1A cannot be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy.

APT versus AST: what changed for landlords

Before 1 May 2026, the standard letting model was a fixed-term AST, typically six or twelve months, after which the tenancy either renewed or the landlord could serve a Section 21 notice. That model is gone. Under the APT framework, the tenancy is periodic from the outset with no natural end point, and possession requires evidence of a statutory ground. In our experience supporting landlords through this transition, the practical shift is less about the rolling nature of the tenancy, most landlords already had long-running periodic tenancies after fixed terms expired, and more about the removal of the Section 21 safety net and the new written statement obligations. Good compliance infrastructure and clear tenancy records matter significantly more under an APT than they did under an AST. August's smart reminders track renewal dates for gas safety certificates, EICRs, and EPCs against the rolling tenancy lifecycle so nothing lapses.

Statutory basis

The assured periodic tenancy is created by Section 1 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which inserts Section 4A into the Housing Act 1988. The written statement obligations are set out in the Assured Tenancies (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026. GOV.UK maintains guidance for both landlords and tenants on the APT regime. The Renters' Rights Act applies in England only; Scotland operates under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 and Wales under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, both of which have different tenure frameworks.

The full legislative context is covered in August's Renters' Rights Act hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is an assured periodic tenancy the same as a rolling tenancy?

Yes, in substance. An APT runs on a rolling basis, typically month to month, with no fixed end date. "Rolling tenancy" and "rolling contract" are colloquial terms that describe the same arrangement. The statutory term, and the one used in tenancy agreements from 1 May 2026, is assured periodic tenancy.

What is the difference between an APT and a statutory periodic tenancy?

A statutory periodic tenancy was the rolling tenancy that arose automatically at the end of a fixed-term AST when neither party served notice. An APT is periodic from the outset, there is no fixed term to expire. Under the Renters' Rights Act, the practical distinction has largely collapsed: both now sit within the assured tenancy framework and are governed by the same Section 8 possession rules. The statutory periodic tenancy concept remains relevant for legacy tenancies and for understanding how the 1 May 2026 conversion occurred.

Do APTs apply in Scotland and Wales?

No. The Renters' Rights Act applies in England only. Scotland uses the private residential tenancy under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, and Wales uses the standard occupation contract under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Landlords operating in Scotland or Wales should refer to the relevant guidance for those jurisdictions.

Can a landlord still refuse to renew at the end of a period?

Under the APT regime there is no "renewal", the tenancy continues indefinitely until one party ends it correctly. A landlord cannot decline to renew in the way that was possible under a fixed-term AST. To recover the property the landlord must use Section 8 and establish a valid ground for possession.

Last reviewed: May 2026 by the August editorial team. Reflects the law in England as at 1 May 2026, including the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different rules.

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