What Is an Assured Periodic Tenancy? A Guide for East London Landlords

If you are a landlord with a rental property in Bromley, Croydon or East Ham, you should be aware that the Renters’ Rights Act is almost in full force. On 1^st May 2026, any tenancy agreement – whether existing and newly created – existed as a periodic tenancy. 

What Is A Periodic Tenancy Agreement? 

The Renters’ Rights Act banned assured short term and fixed term tenancies. These have been automatically replaced by assured periodic tenancies. But what does a periodic tenancy mean? A periodic tenancy is the general term for rolling tenancies or contracts with no fixed end date. 

What is an assured periodic tenancy?  

An assured periodic tenancy is the specific tenancy type that has replaced fixed term tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs). The switch happened automatically on 1^st May 2026. 

Statutory vs contractual periodic tenancies – what’s changed  

You may be wondering what a statutory period tenancy is and how it differs from a contractual periodic tenancy.  

A statutory periodic tenancy referred to a fixed term tenancy that automatically converted to periodic one at the end of the tenancy term. A contractual periodic tenancy has always been a tenancy that is periodic from the start. Both statutory and contractual period tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies, no matter how they started  

Table 1: Tenancy types explained

Want to know more? Learn how to resolve a breach of tenancy agreement and explore the tenancy deposit dispute process for East London landlords. 

What changes has the Renters’ Rights Act made to periodic tenancies? 

The Renters’ Rights Act has changed lettings for both the landlord and tenant. These headline reforms are already in place:  

1. Fix-term tenancies are abolished

As detailed above, landlords can no longer offer AST or fixed term tenancies. All tenancies are considered periodic.  

2. Section 21 notices are banned:  

How can a landlord end a periodic tenancy? A Section 8 is the only way for landlords to regain possession now that Section 21 has been abolished. 

3. New grounds for eviction under Section 8 

The Government has updated its legitimate reasons for serving a Section 8, as detailed in this Grounds for Possession article.  

Landlords who want to sell their buy-to-let, move in themselves or move in a friend or family must follow a new process.  

Ground 1 (occupation by landlord or family) and Ground 1A (sale of dwelling house) apply, as long as a strict notice period is followed. Neither Ground 1 or Ground 1A can be used within the first year of a new tenancy and when it is valid to serve notice using either ground, four months’ notice must be given. 

4. New rules for rental arrears 

For Ground 8 (rental arrears) to be valid, a tenant must owe the landlord at least 3 months’ rent, if they pay rent monthly or at least 13 weeks’ rent, if the rent is paid weekly or fortnightly. This is up from 2 months. The notice period for Ground 8 has doubled from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. 

Pros & Cons Of Periodic Tenancies 

Assured periodic tenancies offer several benefits to tenants but there are also some advantages for landlords too. 

Advantages Of Periodic Tenancies For Landlords & Tenants 

Pros (For Tenants) 

• Flexibility to end a tenancy without waiting for a fixed term to expire 
• No tenancy renewal admin to consider 
• Better suited for short periods of renting and a flexible lifestyle 
• Improved ability to challenge unfair rent increases and leave unsatisfactory properties 

Pros (For Landlords) 

• Less paperwork as there’s no longer tenancy renewal admin 
• Fewer letting agency fees as agreements won’t need renewing as frequently 
• Easier to switch to short-term rental structure 

Disadvantages Of Periodic Tenancies For Landlords & Tenants 

Cons (For Tenants) 

• Long, fixed term contract security now a thing of the past 
• Landlords still have the right to regain possession, as long as they have a valid reason and follow the correct notice period 

Cons (For Landlords) 

• Potential for a higher turnover of tenants, with more void periods and increasing marketing costs/agency fees 
• Longer notice periods, including Ground 1 and 1A only being valid after 12 months of a new tenancy have passed 
• Limited to one rent increase per year in line with market averages. An increase to rent payments must be given using Section 13 (Form 4A) 
• New, longer notice periods for eviction, depending on the ground cited 

Want to find out more? Find out whether being a buy-to-let landlord is still worth it in East London and read up on how to check a tenant’s right to rent.

Questions about periodic tenancies in east London

Understanding assured periodic tenancies for your East London let

If you’re still adjusting to the Renters’ Rights Act, we’re here to help. 

As an experienced East London letting agent covering Gants Hill, Ilford and Forest Gate, we can help keep your buy-to-lets compliant and within the law. We also provide a guaranteed rent scheme to protect you from losing money through missed rent payments or void periods.