Periodic tenancies 2026: student renting guide

One-sentence answer

On 1 May 2026 every assured shorthold tenancy converted to an assured periodic tenancy — there is no longer a fixed term, you can leave on two months' written notice at any time, your landlord must use a Section 8 ground to end it, and rent can only rise once a year via a Section 13 notice you can challenge.

What "periodic" means now

A periodic tenancy is a rolling tenancy with a period (almost always one month, matching the rent cycle). It continues period by period until one side ends it lawfully.

What this changes in practice:

• You are no longer locked in to a 6-month, 12-month, or any other fixed term. Old contracts that said "12-month minimum" have no effect on the new structure.
• The landlord cannot make you sign a new fixed term as a condition of continuing.
• A "break clause" is meaningless — you don't need one to leave.
• The tenancy ends only when a tenant serves notice, both sides agree, or the landlord obtains possession on a Section 8 ground.

Notice you give to leave (two months, in writing)

As a tenant, you can end a periodic tenancy by serving the landlord two months' written notice at any time, ending on a rent day. The notice must be:

• In writing. Email is usually fine but check what the contract says about service.
• Signed. On a joint tenancy, any one joint tenant's notice ends the whole tenancy for everyone — check all housemates agree before you use it.
• Dated.
• Served on the landlord at the contractual address (or at the agent if the contract says so).

If you need to leave faster, you can ask the landlord to accept an earlier surrender — that requires the landlord's written agreement. Don't move out and stop paying rent without the surrender in writing.

Notice your landlord can give (Section 8 only)

Your landlord now has only one route: a Section 8 notice (Form 3) naming at least one ground from Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 — see Section 8 grounds for possession: a tenant's reference. There is no "two months' notice without a reason" anymore. There is no Section 21.

This means:

• The landlord has to make a positive case for possession at hearing, even on mandatory grounds.
• The landlord must serve the right notice period for the ground used.
• A defective notice is a real defence, not a technicality.

Rent rises — once per year, Section 13 form

The Renters' Rights Act 2024 keeps rent rises on a single track: the Section 13 notice in the prescribed form (check the post-2026 form version).

• Only once in any twelve-month period. A landlord cannot raise rent six months after the last increase.
• Prescribed form. A verbal "I'm putting it up to £X" is not a rent rise. An informal email "the rent is going up" is not a rent rise.
• Effective date. The notice must specify the date the new rent applies, with the prescribed minimum notice period before that date.
• Right to challenge. You can refer the increase to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber — Residential Property) if you think it exceeds market rent for similar local properties.

If the form is wrong, the cycle is wrong, or the notice period is wrong, the increase is not effective. Pay the existing rent and write to the landlord saying so.

Challenging a rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal

1. Receive a properly-served Section 13 notice.
2. Apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent takes effect, using the prescribed form.
3. Provide evidence: comparable local rents, property condition, any deficiencies that justify a lower rent.
4. Tribunal decides what is the market rent. The decision binds both sides prospectively.

The tribunal can decide the rent is lower than the landlord proposed; it can also confirm the landlord's figure. The risk is real but rare in clear-cut cases where the landlord has tried to push significantly above market.

Worked example: a 12-month contract that became periodic

Sara signed a 12-month AST in Manchester on 1 November 2025 at £900/month. The fixed term was due to run to 31 October 2026.

• On 1 May 2026 her tenancy automatically converted to an assured periodic tenancy. The remaining months of the fixed term ceased to bind her.
• In June 2026 her landlord emailed: "Your rent goes up to £1,050 in August." This is not a valid Section 13 notice — wrong form, no rent-day timing. Sara pays £900 and writes back asking for a Section 13 notice in the prescribed form.
• In August 2026 Sara decides to move. She serves two months' written notice on 5 August. The tenancy ends at the next rent day on or after 5 October — for her contract, 1 November 2026. She pays rent through to that date.
• The landlord's August "rent rise" never took effect because it was never properly served. Sara's last two months' rent are at £900, not £1,050.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice for your specific situation. A licensed attorney or regulated adviser should review your documents before you rely on a strategy or deadline.