Fixed-Term Tenancy

Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT)

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.

Statutory Periodic Tenancy

Historically, the rolling tenancy that arose automatically when a fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy ended and the tenant stayed on. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolished fixed terms from 1 May 2026, all assured tenancies are periodic from the outset (an assured periodic tenancy), so the "statutory periodic" step no longer applies to new tenancies.

Fair Wear and Tear

The reasonable deterioration of a property and its contents from normal day-to-day use over the length of the tenancy. A landlord cannot make deposit deductions for fair wear and tear — only for damage, cleaning or loss beyond it. What counts as fair depends on how long the tenant lived there and how many people occupied the property.

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

The specialist tribunal that decides most private-rented-sector disputes in England outside the county court. It hears challenges to Section 13 rent increases, applications for Rent Repayment Orders, appeals against council civil penalties and licensing decisions, and leasehold service-charge disputes. It is designed to be used without a solicitor, and its decisions are binding.

Fitness for Human Habitation

The standard set by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. Every rented home must be fit for habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout. Tenants can sue the landlord directly for breach, without involving the local authority.

Form 3A (Notice of Seeking Possession, Section 8)

The prescribed form a private landlord uses to start a Section 8 possession claim under the Housing Act 1988. GOV.UK publishes two versions: Form 3A for the private rented sector and Form 3 for social housing, so a private landlord who serves Form 3 has used the wrong form. It identifies the tenancy, the grounds being relied on (from Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988) and the date by which the tenant must give up possession. Notice periods vary by ground: no minimum notice for grounds 7A and 14 (anti-social behaviour), 4 weeks for ground 8 (rent arrears), 4 months for ground 1A (landlord sale) post-RRA 2025. A defective notice — wrong form, wrong ground, wrong notice period, missing prescribed wording — is the most common reason possession claims fail at first hearing.