Tenancy Types in the UK: England, Wales, Scotland & NI

Every UK nation now runs a different tenancy system for private renting. England has the assured tenancy, Wales the occupation contract, Scotland the Private Residential Tenancy, and Northern Ireland the private tenancy, each with its own rules on notice, eviction and rights.

Information last verified on 18 July 2026. This page presents general legal information, not legal advice.

Jurisdiction scope: This page compares private-renting tenancy types across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is general information, not advice on your own agreement. For advice, contact Shelter (or Shelter Cymru / Housing Rights in Northern Ireland) or Citizens Advice.

Why does my tenancy type depend on where I live?

Housing law is devolved, so England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each passed their own legislation setting out what a private tenancy is and what protection it carries. There is no single UK-wide tenancy. A written agreement calling itself an assured shorthold tenancy has no legal meaning in Wales, where the equivalent document is an occupation contract, or in Scotland, where it would be a Private Residential Tenancy. The label a landlord puts on an agreement does not decide which law applies; the location of the property does. This matters because eviction routes, notice periods, deposit rules and rent-increase rights all flow from the tenancy type, and each nation's version works differently even when the underlying idea, a right to occupy a home in exchange for rent, is the same.

What tenancy do I have in England?

Most people renting privately in England now hold an assured tenancy that is periodic, meaning it has no fixed end date. This followed the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which abolished the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) for the private rented sector from 1 May 2026 and converted existing private ASTs to periodic assured tenancies, except that a tenancy with a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May stayed an assured shorthold tenancy while that notice could still be used (a Section 21 claim had to be issued by 31 July 2026). Before that date, the AST was the standard agreement, typically a fixed term followed by a rolling periodic tenancy, and a landlord could end it without giving a reason using a Section 21 notice. That route no longer exists; a landlord must now rely on a Section 8 ground. A small number of long-standing tenants, whose tenancy began before 15 January 1989, may still hold an older regulated or protected tenancy under the Rent Act 1977, which works under different, generally more protective, rules.

What is an occupation contract in Wales?

Private renting in Wales works through an occupation contract under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and the person renting is called a contract-holder rather than a tenant. The most common type for private renting is the standard contract, granted by a private landlord. Social landlords, such as councils and housing associations, grant a secure contract instead, which carries stronger long-term security. An occupation contract can be fixed-term or periodic, and its terms come from a mix of what is written down and terms the 2016 Act implies automatically. Wales still allows a no-fault eviction route for a standard contract, the Section 173 notice, unlike England. See the eviction in Wales guide for how that notice works.

What is a Private Residential Tenancy in Scotland?

Almost all private tenants in Scotland hold a Private Residential Tenancy (PRT) under the Private Housing (Tenancies)(Scotland) Act 2016. A PRT is open-ended: it has no fixed term and no end date, and it continues until the tenant gives notice to leave or a landlord obtains an eviction order from the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). A PRT has no no-fault ground; a landlord must rely on one of the tenancy's eviction grounds, all of which are discretionary, and the Tribunal decides whether eviction is reasonable in every case. Older assured tenancies and short assured tenancies, granted before the PRT became the standard private tenancy, can still exist and are gradually being replaced as they come to an end, though no new ones can be created. A short assured tenancy created before 1 December 2017 can still be ended with a section 33 notice, but only if the Tribunal finds it reasonable. See eviction in Scotland for the grounds and notice periods.

What is a private tenancy in Northern Ireland?

Private renting in Northern Ireland is governed by a private tenancy under the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, as amended by the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. A landlord must give the tenant a rent book or written statement of the tenancy's terms, and protect any deposit in an approved scheme. Northern Ireland has no schedule of statutory eviction grounds: a landlord ends a tenancy by serving a valid Notice to Quit, with no ground required, and the required notice period depends mainly on how long the tenant has lived there. Landlord notice periods are currently 4 weeks if the tenancy has lasted 12 months or less, 8 weeks if it has lasted more than 12 months but not more than 10 years, and 12 weeks if it has lasted more than 10 years. Longer periods, of up to 7 months, are written into the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 but are not yet in force. See eviction in Northern Ireland for the full notice-period table.

How do the four tenancy types compare?

Am I a lodger rather than a tenant?

Not everyone who pays rent for a room is a tenant. If you live with a resident landlord, meaning the landlord also lives in the property and you typically share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom, you are usually a lodger, sometimes called an excluded occupier, rather than a tenant. A lodger has far fewer legal protections: the landlord generally only has to give reasonable notice to end the arrangement, and does not need a court order or a formal notice such as a Section 21 or Section 8 notice, though removing someone without agreement can still raise legal issues. The tenancy reforms described above, and the equivalent Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish rules, are built around tenancies and occupation contracts; they do not extend the same protection to a lodger living with a resident landlord.

Is a licence to occupy the same as a tenancy?

No. A tenancy generally gives exclusive possession of a property or room, meaning even the landlord cannot enter without permission except in limited circumstances. A licence to occupy, common in hostels, some house-shares and student halls, gives permission to use a space without exclusive possession, often alongside other occupants or services provided by the landlord. What an agreement is called on paper does not decide the question; a court or tribunal looks at what actually happens, particularly whether the occupier has exclusive possession and pays rent for a fixed period. Because a licence carries much weaker protection against eviction than a tenancy or occupation contract, anyone unsure whether they hold a tenancy or a licence should get advice from Shelter, Shelter Cymru, Housing Rights or Citizens Advice before assuming either way.

For the full four-nation comparison on eviction, deposits and rent, see the UK tenant rights hub. For how the reforms reshaped England's tenancy system, see the Renters' Rights Act 2025 explainer; for eviction detail in the other nations, see eviction in Scotland and eviction in Wales. For other UK law topics, see the United Kingdom law hub.

This page is general legal information about tenancy types across the United Kingdom, verified on 18 July 2026. It is not legal advice, and how these rules apply depends on your own agreement and circumstances. For advice, contact Shelter, Shelter Cymru, Housing Rights in Northern Ireland, Citizens Advice, or a solicitor. For related guides, see the UK tenant rights hub and the United Kingdom law hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tenancy type do most private renters have in England now?

Since 1 May 2026, most private renters in England hold a periodic assured tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The assured shorthold tenancy no longer exists for the private rented sector, and existing ones converted automatically, except that a tenancy with a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May stayed an assured shorthold tenancy while that notice could still be used (a Section 21 claim had to be issued by 31 July 2026).

What is a contract-holder in Wales?

A contract-holder is the term used in Wales, under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, for the person renting under an occupation contract. It replaces the word tenant used elsewhere in the UK.

Does Scotland still use assured tenancies?

New private tenancies in Scotland use the Private Residential Tenancy (PRT). Older assured tenancies and short assured tenancies granted before the PRT became standard can still exist, but no new ones are being created.

How is a Northern Ireland private tenancy different from an English assured tenancy?

A Northern Ireland private tenancy is governed by the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, as amended by the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, with its own Notice to Quit periods and deposit rules, and is not affected by England's Renters' Rights Act 2025.

Am I a tenant or a lodger if I live with my landlord?

If your landlord also lives in the property, you are usually a lodger, sometimes called an excluded occupier, rather than a tenant, with far fewer legal protections and no requirement for a court order in most cases.

Is a licence to occupy a room the same as a tenancy?

No. A tenancy usually gives exclusive possession of a space; a licence, common in hostels or some shared housing, does not. A licence carries weaker protection against eviction than a tenancy or occupation contract.

Do older tenancy types still exist anywhere in the UK?

Yes, in a small number of cases. Some long-standing tenants in England still hold a regulated or protected tenancy from before 15 January 1989, and some tenants in Scotland still hold an assured or short assured tenancy granted before the Private Residential Tenancy became standard.

Which nation's tenancy rules apply to me?

The rules of the nation where the property is located, regardless of where the landlord lives. A flat in Cardiff follows Welsh occupation-contract law, a flat in Glasgow follows the Scottish Private Residential Tenancy, and so on.