Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT)
Quick answer
The single tenancy type that replaced the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) in England under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. From 1 May 2026 every existing AST automatically converted to a periodic assured tenancy — no fixed term, rolling from period to period — and no new fixed-term ASTs can be granted. The tenant can leave on two months’ notice; the landlord can only regain possession using a Section 8 ground.
At a glance
- Replaced
- AST (abolished 1 May 2026)
- Structure
- Periodic, no fixed term
- Tenant notice
- 2 months
- Landlord possession
- Section 8 ground only
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) matters for landlords
The conversion was automatic and needed no paperwork, but it quietly voided a lot of standard AST wording: fixed-term clauses, break clauses and "rent increases at the landlord’s discretion" no longer bite, and issuing a fresh fixed-term AST after 1 May 2026 is simply non-compliant. The bigger shift is the loss of the fixed-term "safety net" — a landlord can no longer count on a tenant being locked in for twelve months, so void planning, rent-review timing (via Section 13) and possession strategy all have to be rebuilt around a rolling tenancy.
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Related terms
AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy)
The most common form of private tenancy in England. From 1 May 2026 all existing ASTs converted to assured periodic tenancies under the Renters Rights Act 2025, and new fixed-term ASTs can no longer be created for most residential lets.
How to Rent Guide
A government checklist that landlords in England must give tenants at the start of every new assured tenancy. Available on GOV.UK as a PDF. Failure to serve it historically invalidated a Section 21 notice, and it remains a marker of a compliant tenancy setup.
Landlord Ombudsman (Private Rented Sector)
A new, mandatory redress scheme for private landlords created by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Every private landlord in England letting to assured tenants must join, giving tenants a free, independent route to complain about a landlord without going to court. The ombudsman can order an apology, corrective action and compensation, and its decisions bind the landlord.
Notice to Quit
A common-law notice ending a contractual periodic tenancy (rather than a statutorily protected one). For most modern residential lets governed by the Housing Act 1988 the relevant notices are Section 21 (until 1 May 2026) and Section 8 (Form 3) under the assured shorthold / assured periodic tenancy regime, not a common-law Notice to Quit. The phrase is still used colloquially and remains relevant for specific edge cases: company lets, resident landlords, holiday lets and tenancies excluded from the Housing Act 1988 by Schedule 1.
Periodic Tenancy
A tenancy that continues from period to period (usually monthly) with no fixed end date. From 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in England are periodic by default under the Renters Rights Act 2025. Tenants can end the tenancy with two months' notice.
Rent Increase Notice (Section 13)
A notice under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 used to increase rent on an assured periodic tenancy. Under the Renters Rights Act 2025 (in force 1 May 2026) the landlord must give at least 2 months’ notice on the prescribed Form 4, can use it only once in any 12-month period, and cannot raise rent in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Tenants can challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which can no longer set a higher rent than the landlord proposed.