Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)
The assured shorthold tenancy (AST) was the most common form of private residential tenancy in England from 28 February 1997 until 1 May 2026. It was created by the Housing Act 1988 and defined as a specific form of assured tenancy under which a private landlord let a residential property to an individual as their only or main home. The AST no longer exists. Assured Shorthold Tenancies ceased to exist on 1 May 2026, when Section 2 of the Renters' Rights Act removed Chapter II of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988 that established and regulated them. All new tenancies granted from that date are assured periodic tenancies.
What made the AST distinct
The AST was a specific form of assured tenancy, the broader legal category created by the Housing Act 1988, distinguished by limited security of tenure and the availability of the Section 21 no-fault possession route. Section 21 allowed landlords to end an AST after any fixed term, or during a periodic tenancy, without having to establish fault or wrongdoing by the tenant. This was the defining feature that made the AST the commercial standard for private lettings and separated it from the earlier regulated and assured tenancy regimes.
From 28 February 1997, following the Housing Act 1996, the AST became the default tenancy type for new private residential lets, meaning any new let that met the qualifying criteria was automatically an AST unless the landlord specifically created a different type of tenancy agreement. The landlord and tenant could set a fixed term (typically six or twelve months), after which the tenancy either ended or continued as a statutory periodic tenancy rolling month to month.
ASTs were subject to a comprehensive set of statutory protections for tenants, including deposit protection rules, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 limits, safety certificate requirements, energy performance standards, and prescribed notice rules.
What happened on 1 May 2026
The conversion of all ASTs to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026 is part of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the most significant overhaul of private rented sector legislation in England since the Housing Act 1988 itself.
Most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. This happened automatically by operation of law, landlords did not issue new contracts and tenants did not sign anything for this conversion to occur. Fixed terms that had not yet expired ended on 1 May 2026. The tenancy continued as an open-ended, rolling periodic tenancy from that date. The old AST and the new APT are treated as a single, continuing tenancy, and there is no need to re-serve compliance documents such as the Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, or EPC, or to re-register the tenancy deposit.
The Section 21 notice, the no-fault possession mechanism that distinguished the AST from earlier tenancy types, has been abolished from 1 May 2026 and can no longer be served. All possession must now proceed via a Section 8 notice citing one of the statutory grounds for possession.
The transitional rules: which tenancies remained ASTs after 1 May
A small number of tenancies did not convert on 1 May 2026. A tenancy will not convert if a landlord served a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026 and possession proceedings have not yet concluded, in those cases the tenancy remains an AST until proceedings conclude. Landlords who had already applied to court before 1 May 2026, or who applied between 1 May and 31 July 2026 on the basis of a notice served before that date, fall within this transitional provision. Once proceedings conclude, typically when a bailiff enforces the possession order, the transitional period ends.
What replaced the AST: the assured periodic tenancy
Since 1 May 2026, all new private residential tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies, open-ended, rolling agreements with no fixed end date, under which landlords can only recover possession on specified statutory grounds. A clause in a new tenancy agreement purporting to set a fixed term is void and carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000.
A tenancy agreement that still says "assured shorthold tenancy" in its heading does not create an AST. If it meets the qualifying criteria for an assured periodic tenancy, individual tenant, occupied as only or principal home, exclusive possession, landlord not resident, it is an assured periodic tenancy regardless of its label.
What landlords with existing tenancies needed to do
Landlords with existing ASTs that converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026 were required to provide each tenant with the official government Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. This document, published by the government, explains the changes to the tenancy. Failure to provide it carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Landlords do not need to issue a new tenancy agreement for existing tenants, the Information Sheet is the required action for tenancies already in writing.
In our experience working with self-managing landlords through the transition, the most common source of confusion has been whether fixed-term clauses in existing agreements needed to be formally removed. They do not, they are automatically void from 1 May 2026 by operation of law. The tenancy continues, the clause does not.
Landlords using August can store the Information Sheet and all tenancy documents in one place, and receive compliance reminders to ensure nothing is missed during the transition period.
For a complete guide to what changed on 1 May 2026, including what documents to issue and how existing agreements are treated, see our post-commencement landlord guide to the Renters' Rights Act. For guidance on what a new tenancy agreement must contain from 1 May 2026, see our tenancy agreement guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is my tenancy still valid if the agreement says "assured shorthold tenancy"?
Yes. The label in the document does not determine the tenancy type. If the tenancy meets the qualifying criteria for an assured periodic tenancy, it is granted to an individual as their only or main home, with exclusive possession, by a landlord who does not live at the property, it is an assured periodic tenancy from 1 May 2026, regardless of what the agreement calls it. Any fixed-term clause in the agreement is void from that date.
Can a landlord still create a new AST?
No. It is no longer legally possible to grant an assured shorthold tenancy. Any tenancy that would previously have been an AST is now an assured periodic tenancy. A tenancy agreement drafted as an AST with a fixed term is void in its fixed-term provisions and carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 if used for a new letting.
Do landlords need to re-protect the deposit after conversion?
No. The conversion of an AST to an assured periodic tenancy is treated as a continuing tenancy. Landlords do not need to re-register the deposit, re-serve the Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, or EPC, or re-issue the tenancy agreement. The only required action for existing tenancies in writing was to serve the government's Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
