Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST): What Changed in 2026

An assured shorthold tenancy (AST) was the standard private tenancy in England under the Housing Act 1988, usually let for a 6- or 12-month fixed term. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished ASTs: since 1 May 2026, every existing AST converted into a periodic assured tenancy.

What Was an Assured Shorthold Tenancy?

An assured shorthold tenancy (AST) was the standard type of private tenancy in England, created under the Housing Act 1988. Almost every private letting from 28 February 1997 onwards was automatically an AST unless the landlord specifically granted a full assured tenancy instead. An AST was usually granted for a fixed term, commonly 6 or 12 months, after which it could run on as a periodic tenancy (rolling month to month or week to week) if neither side ended it. Because it was a shorthold, the tenancy's defining feature was that a landlord could recover possession at the end of the fixed term without proving any fault on the tenant's part, using a Section 21 notice. The AST was the tenancy type most private renters in England had until the Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished it.

Deposit Protection Under an AST

Any deposit taken for an AST had to be protected in one of the government-approved schemes within 30 days of receiving it, and the cap on the deposit was 5 weeks' rent where the annual rent was under £50,000. The landlord also had to give the tenant prescribed information about the scheme within the same 30 days. If a landlord failed to protect a deposit or failed to serve the prescribed information, a tenant could apply to the county court, which could order the deposit's return and award compensation of between one and three times the deposit. These deposit protection rules did not change when ASTs converted to periodic assured tenancies; they still apply under the new tenancy type. See our guide to tenancy deposit protection for the full rules and how to check your deposit is protected.

How a Landlord Could End an AST: Section 21 and Section 8

Before 1 May 2026, a landlord had two routes to end an AST. A Section 21 notice was the no-fault route: it required no reason, only correct paperwork and at least 2 months' notice, and normally could not be used during a fixed term. A Section 8 notice was the fault-based route, relying on a specific ground such as rent arrears or anti-social behaviour, decided by the County Court on the facts. Section 21 was by far the more commonly used route, because a court had no discretion to refuse possession once a landlord's paperwork was correct, and it could not be contested on the merits. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 in the private rented sector from 1 May 2026; see our guide to the Section 21 notice for how that abolition worked.

What Happened to ASTs on 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished the assured shorthold tenancy. From 1 May 2026, a private landlord in England can no longer create a new AST; every new private tenancy is now an assured tenancy from the outset. Every AST that already existed on 1 May 2026 converted automatically into a periodic assured tenancy, with no fixed term and no new agreement required. The conversion did not reset the tenancy: the same deposit protection, the same gas safety certificate, EICR and EPC, and the same start date carried over, so neither the landlord nor the tenant had to do anything to make the switch happen. One transitional exception applied: where a landlord had already validly served a Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026, that notice could still proceed under the rules in force when it was served.

Ending the New Tenancy or Raising the Rent

On the periodic assured tenancy that replaced the AST, a tenant can give 2 months' written notice to end the tenancy at any time; there is no need to wait for a fixed term to expire, because there no longer is one. A landlord cannot end the tenancy without a reason. To regain possession, the landlord must serve a Section 8 notice relying on one of the grounds in the Housing Act 1988 as reformed by the Renters' Rights Act, such as selling the property, moving in family, or serious rent arrears, and prove it to the County Court. See our guide to the Section 8 notice for the grounds and notice periods. Rent can only rise once a year, using a Section 13 notice with at least 2 months' notice, and a tenant can challenge a proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).

Do You Need a New Tenancy Agreement?

No new tenancy agreement is required. The conversion from an AST to a periodic assured tenancy happened automatically by law on 1 May 2026, and the tenancy is treated as continuous rather than as a new letting. A landlord does not need to re-register the deposit, re-serve the gas safety certificate, EICR or EPC, or issue a new written agreement. Landlords were required to send existing tenants an official government information sheet explaining the changes. If your paperwork still describes your tenancy as an "assured shorthold tenancy," that no longer reflects your legal position from 1 May 2026 onwards. It is a periodic assured tenancy now, whatever the original paperwork called it, and the Section 21 route described in it can no longer be used.

England Only: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Are Different

The assured shorthold tenancy, and its abolition, apply to England only. Wales never used the AST; it uses the occupation contract under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and still allows no-fault eviction through a Section 173 notice with 6 months' notice. Scotland never used the AST either; it uses the open-ended Private Residential Tenancy, which has never had a no-fault ground, with eviction decided by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. Northern Ireland runs its own private tenancy under the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, with landlord Notice to Quit periods rather than an AST or Section 21 structure. For the full comparison of tenancy types across all four nations, see our guide to tenancy types explained.

For the full reform, see our guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and for what replaced Section 21 see the Section 21 notice and Section 8 notice guides. For how tenancy types differ across the UK, see tenancy types explained. For the full four-nation picture, see our UK tenant rights hub, part of our wider guide to United Kingdom law.

This article is general information about the law in England, not legal advice. Whether your specific tenancy converted correctly, or whether a notice served before 1 May 2026 is still valid, depends on the facts of your case. If you are unsure about your tenancy status or a notice you have received, consult Citizens Advice, Shelter, or a qualified solicitor.