You or your letting agent cannot ask for, encourage or accept an offer that is higher than the advertised rent. If someone offers to pay more than the advertised rent for a property, this is known as ‘rental bidding’. You may be fined up to £7,000 for your first offence. When you advertise a property When you advertise or offer a property in writing, you must say how much the rent is. It must be a specific amount. A price range is not allowed. A written advert can be: an online property advert a printed advert a social media post any digital communication, for example, emails, text messages or direct messages A ‘to let’ sign outside a property is not a written advert. After you’ve advertised a property After you or your letting agent have advertised the rent for your property, you cannot: ask for or accept offers above the advertised rent publish a price range for the property and ask tenants to bid within that range, or higher encourage someone to offer more than the advertised rent (for example, by telling them you have received other offers) act in any way that leads a person to believe they need to offer more than the advertised rent You may be reported to the local council if you do any of these things, even if the tenancy agreement has been signed. If someone reports you for rental bidding The council may ask for: evidence of the original advertised rent the tenancy agreement a statement If the council agrees that rental bidding has happened, they may fine you up to £7,000 for your first offence. If you’re reported again You could be fined for a ‘repeated breach’ if you commit the same offence within 5 years. If you are fined for a repeated breach, you’ll have to pay: up to £7,000 for the breach on its own up to £7,000 if you repeat the same type of breach within 5 years Example You advertise a property but do not include the price of rent in the written advert. Someone reports this and you’re fined up to £7,000. Two years later you advertise another property without including the price of rent. Someone reports this and you are fined up to £7,000 for the breach, as well as up to another £7,000 for the ‘repeated breach’. You could pay a total of up to £21,000 for the 2 offences. It will not be a repeated breach if you are reported for different things. Example You advertise a property but do not include the rent in the written advert. Someone reports this and you’re fined up to £7,000. One year later, you advertise another property and include the rent in the written advert, but you then accept an offer of more than the amount advertised. Someone reports this and you’re fined up to another £7,000. You could pay a total of up to £14,000 for the 2 offences.

Written information you need to give to your tenant

If the tenancy was created after 1 May 2026, you need to give tenants certain written information about the key terms of the tenancy. Check what you’ll need to give your tenants . If you do not, you could be fined up to £7,000. You must give your tenant the written information before you either: sign a tenancy agreement agree a tenancy - for example, if you have an oral (spoken) agreement You can include this information as part of a written tenancy agreement, or you can give it to your tenant separately. You also need to give your tenant this written information if the tenancy started before 1 May and you only have an oral (spoken) agreement. You must do this by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026 and you have a written agreement You do not need to provide this information if both: the tenancy was created before 1 May 2026 you already have a written record of the terms of the tenancy - for example, you have a written tenancy agreement Instead, you need to give your tenant ‘ The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 ’. You must do this by 31 May 2026. You must give it to all tenants named on a tenancy agreement. You must give The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 to your tenant by either: posting or hand delivering a printed copy sending a digital copy, for example as an attachment to an email or text message Changes to tenancy agreements Both you and your tenant must agree to any changes to the terms of the tenancy agreement.

Rent in advance and deposits

You or your letting agent must not accept, ask for or encourage tenants to pay rent before you both sign the tenancy agreement. This is called asking for ‘rent in advance’. Your tenant can make a complaint if they are asked to pay rent in advance. You can only ask for rent in advance during the ‘pre-tenancy period’. This is after you and your tenant have signed the tenancy agreement and before the date the tenancy starts. You can usually only ask for either one month or 28 days’ worth of rent before the tenancy starts. This does not apply to Private Registered Providers of social housing (PRPs). Asking tenants to pay a deposit Before a tenancy agreement is signed, you or your letting agent can ask for the following deposits: a holding deposit (this can be up to one week’s rent), to reserve the property while you carry out checks a tenancy or security deposit before the tenancy agreement is signed The maximum tenancy or security deposit you can ask for is: up to 5 weeks’ rent if the rent for the year is less than £50,000 up to 6 weeks’ rent if the rent for the year is £50,000 or more You must keep your tenant’s deposit safe using a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme . Before the tenancy starts (the ‘pre-tenancy period’) The period of time after the tenancy agreement has been signed and before the tenancy starts is known as the ‘pre-tenancy period’. During this period, you or your letting agent can ask the tenant to pay some rent before they move in. If your tenant will be paying rent monthly, the maximum amount you can usually ask for is one month’s rent. If they will not be paying rent monthly, the maximum amount you can usually ask for is 28 days’ rent. When you can ask for more rent You can ask your tenant for more than one month or 28 days’ rent in advance if: the tenancy was agreed by the local council because they were legally homeless your property will be let as either social or supported housing If someone reports you Your local council can investigate if you or your letting agent are reported for asking for rent in advance before the tenancy agreement has been signed. You or your letting agent could still be reported if the tenant: did not agree to pay rent in advance offered to pay rent in advance which you then accepted has already moved in If the local council finds that you or someone acting on your behalf has illegally asked a tenant to pay rent in advance, they can ask you to repay the money.

Rent and other payments

Your tenant should pay rent on the day that is stated in the tenancy agreement. This could be weekly or monthly. For example, Monday each week or the last working day of the month. The tenancy agreement usually cannot include any terms asking tenants to pay rent before it is due. You may ask your tenant to pay rent earlier than they usually would if: the tenancy was agreed by the local council because they were legally homeless your property will be let as either social or supported housing Once the tenancy has started, your tenant can choose to pay any amount of rent early. You cannot make them do this. Other payments you can ask tenants to make You can ask tenants to pay for additional things during the tenancy, for example: if they pay their rent late any utilities, internet, phone costs, TV licence and council tax they have agreed to pay if they lose their key or a fob to enter the building to change the tenancy agreement to end the tenancy without giving you the required length of notice If you need more information on what payments you can ask for, refer to the Tenant Fees Act guidance for landlords .

You must follow the correct rules if you want to increase your tenant’s rent. This guidance applies to assured periodic tenancies in England only. There are different rules for: increasing rent in Wales increasing rent in Scotland increasing rent in Northern Ireland increasing regulated tenancy rent When you can increase the rent You can only increase the rent once a year. You will not be able to increase the rent in the first year of the tenancy. How you can increase the rent You should first discuss any rent increase with your tenant to make sure it’s suitable for both parties. You will need to complete form 4A: Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent . The form includes guidance on how to use it to tell your tenant you’re increasing the rent. You must give notice to your tenant by giving them the completed form at least 2 months before you want the rent increase to start. This is known as the ‘section 13 process’. You need to follow the section 13 process every time you increase the rent, even if you have already agreed the increase with your tenants. You can give your tenant notice in the following ways: in person by post by email (if that’s allowed in the tenancy agreement) If your tenants do not agree If your tenant thinks the rent increase is higher than the ‘open market rent’ they can ask the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) to decide what the new rent should be. The open market rent is the rent that you would expect to receive if you were to relet the property on the open market. If you gave notice of a rent increase before 1 May 2026 If you used form 4 to give notice of a rent increase before 1 May 2026, the notice period and rent increase stated in the form will still apply. This is true even if the new rent starts after 1 May 2026. If your tenant thinks that the rent is above the open market rent, they can still challenge it by going to the First-tier Tribunal . You cannot increase the rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect, even if the last increase took effect before 1 May 2026. This applies if you either: increased the rent by giving your tenant notice using form 4 used a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement to increase the rent Example You gave your tenant notice that their rent will be increased from 1 February 2026. The next rent increase cannot come into effect until 1 February 2027. If you gave notice using a rent review clause If the increase was agreed before 1 May 2026 but takes effect after 1 May 2026, the increase will not apply.

If a tenant wants a pet to live with them

If your tenant wants to keep a pet, they’ll need to ask you in writing. They’ll need to include a description of the pet in their request. This could include: what type of animal it is how big it is how much room it will need (for example, if it will be in an enclosure) You cannot refuse without a fair reason. If your tenant keeps a pet without your permission, they may be breaking the terms of the tenancy agreement. Once your tenant has asked for a pet Once your tenant has asked for a pet, you have 28 days to respond in writing. You can ask for more information about the pet from your tenant if needed. If your tenant does not respond when you ask for more information, you do not have to consider the request. Once your tenant has given you the additional information, you have either the remainder of the original 28 days or an extra 7 days to respond with your final decision, whichever is later. If you refuse a request for a pet, you should explain why. Example Your tenant asks in writing if they can have a dog. You have 28 days to respond to them. You’d like more information about the size of the dog and whether it is house trained, so you ask the tenant within the 28 days. They reply and tell you it’s a small dog that is trained. You then have either the remainder of the original 28 days or an extra 7 days to respond with your final decision, whichever is later. If you’re a leaseholder, you may need to ask for permission from your freeholder. You’ll need to check the terms of your lease. When you can refuse a request for a pet It may be reasonable to refuse a request in some circumstances, such as: another tenant has an allergy the property is too small for a large pet or several pets the pet is illegal to own if you’re a leaseholder and the freeholder does not allow pets It would usually be unreasonable to refuse if you: do not like pets have had issues with tenants who had pets in the past have had previous tenants with pets who damaged the property have general concerns about potential damage in the future think a pet might affect future rentals know the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog If you refuse a request for a pet, you’ll need to respond to your tenant in writing. Your tenant can challenge the refusal if they believe it is unreasonable. They can make a complaint to you or apply to the court to start court proceedings against you. If you agree your tenant can have a pet Once you agree to your tenant having a pet, you cannot change your mind or change the tenancy agreement. If you do, your tenant can still keep the pet in the property. If a tenant wants another pet, they will have to ask for permission again. Damage from pets If a pet causes damage, your tenant should talk to you about how it will be repaired. You can keep money from the deposit to cover repair costs caused by pet damage. You may also be able to claim through insurance if you or your tenant have a relevant policy. You cannot claim for the same damage twice. For example, you cannot claim insurance and then also deduct the damage from the deposit. You may be committing fraud if you do. If you’re concerned about a pet Speak to your tenant first to try and resolve any issues with their pet. There are things you can do if you’re concerned about antisocial behaviour involving a pet . If you’re concerned about the welfare of your tenant’s pet you can contact: the RSPCA your local council the police

Dealing with antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour is behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to other people. Antisocial behaviour can be caused by: your tenant anyone living with your tenant anyone visiting your tenant pets at the property Antisocial behaviour can include both criminal and non-criminal behaviour. Check what counts as antisocial behaviour and how you can report it. Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger, or if a crime is in progress. Reporting other serious problems Some serious issues can be mistaken for antisocial behaviour. For example: adults often arguing or shouting could be domestic abuse children often making noise could be a safeguarding issue like abuse or neglect There are different ways to: report domestic abuse report child abuse Contact the police if you think someone is at immediate risk or a victim of abuse. Reducing the risk of antisocial behaviour from your tenants There are things that you can do to reduce the risk of antisocial behaviour from a tenant. You could ask for a reference from a previous landlord or letting agency. You could include terms in the tenancy agreement that prohibit antisocial behaviour and help tenants understand their responsibilities. For example, how tenants can: let you know if they’ll be making excess noise report other tenants committing antisocial behaviour (if you have more than one tenant living in the property) If your tenant’s behaviour is causing problems Consider how serious or dangerous the behaviour is. If it is safe to do so, try to resolve any issues with your tenant directly, such as by talking to them about their behaviour. If you do not feel it is safe to speak to your tenant or you need more support, report the antisocial behaviour to the police or to your local council . Keep evidence of any antisocial behaviour involving your tenant. This can be used if you need to report your tenant to the police or to the council, or if you need to evict them. Evidence can include: a diary of events including times, dates and impact of the behaviour a record of speaking and writing to the person being antisocial witness statements videos, photos or noise recordings information from an antisocial behaviour or noise app, where you can log incidents as they happen Statements and reports from witnesses and neighbours are usually considered as strong evidence. If someone has complained, ask for their permission before you use their complaint as evidence. Think about whether they will be easily identified and whether that is appropriate. You may be able to get a template for an incident diary from your local council . Talking to your tenant about their behaviour Contact your tenant and let them know that you are concerned about their behaviour. Try to give specific examples, using evidence if you have it. Consider if mediation and dispute resolution could help you resolve their behaviour. If you cannot resolve antisocial behaviour with your tenant If you cannot resolve antisocial behaviour with your tenant, you may need to evict them by using the correct procedure . You’ll need to follow the ‘section 8 process’ and use specific ‘grounds for possession’. The section 8 grounds that you will be able to use to evict tenants for antisocial behaviour are: ground 14 ground 12 - if the tenancy agreement has been breached ground 7A You can use more than one ground. Grounds are either ‘discretionary’ or ‘mandatory’. Evicting a tenant on discretionary grounds A ‘discretionary ground’ means you need to prove antisocial behaviour occurred. The court then decides if it is reasonable to evict your tenant. Ground 14: nuisance, illegal or improper use Most antisocial behaviour will come under ground 14. This behaviour can happen on your property, or nearby. Ground 14 also covers when your tenant commits a serious offence near your property. The judge will consider all the factors related to the case. This includes: the impact the behaviour has had, including continuing impact the impact of the behaviour if it is repeated the impact on other tenants in a house of multiple occupation (HMO) where accommodation or facilities are shared if your tenant has responded to attempts to resolve the behaviour If you give notice using ground 14, you can immediately apply to court for a possession order . Ground 12: breach of tenancy Ground 12 can be used when your tenant has broken one or more of the terms in the tenancy agreement. The court will still need to decide if it is reasonable to evict your tenant. If you use ground 12, you’ll need to give your tenant 2 weeks’ notice before you apply to court for a possession order . Evicting a tenant on mandatory grounds A ‘mandatory ground’ means the court must give you a possession order, if your evidence proves the ground is met. Ground 7A: antisocial behaviour If your tenant has engaged in serious criminal behaviour, you will be able to use ground 7A to apply to court for an eviction. For this ground to be met, your tenant will need to have done at least one of the following: been convicted of a serious criminal offence or breached a previous ‘Injunction to Prevent Nuisance or Annoyance’ (IPNA) breached a criminal behaviour order been convicted of causing noise nuisance The criminal behaviour will need to have taken place either: on or near the property somewhere that affects you as the landlord, such as the property of someone who lives nearby or who is employed by you If you rely on a conviction to evict a tenant, you will have 12 months from the date of conviction to give notice that you are seeking possession. You will also be able to use ground 7A if the council or police have applied for a closure order and access to the premises has been prohibited for more than 48 hours. Shelter has guidance on what happens if a closure notice is granted . You will need to give notice within 3 months of the closure order. It may be easier to evict your tenant if you have already tried to resolve the situation another way, such as by speaking to them about their behaviour or attending mediation. If you give notice using ground 7A, you can immediately apply to court for a possession order . If the tenancy began before 1 May 2026 If it was an assured shorthold or assured tenancy, it will become an assured periodic tenancy on this date. You cannot use section 21 to evict your tenant on or after 1 May 2026, even if the tenancy agreement says you can. You’ll need to use section 8 grounds if you want to evict a tenant for antisocial behaviour.

If your tenant wants to leave

The tenancy agreement should say how much notice your tenants need to give before they can leave the property. The maximum notice you can ask your tenant for is 2 months. If the tenancy agreement does not say how much notice your tenant must give, they will need to give at least 2 months’ notice. You can agree with your tenant to end the tenancy earlier or have a shorter notice period. This will need to be in writing. Your tenant must give their notice: so the tenancy ends on a day when the rent is due or the day before the rent is due in writing, for example, by letter, email or text You cannot tell your tenant how they should give their notice. Your tenant will need to continue to pay rent during the notice period before the tenancy ends. They can move out early without paying rent for the remainder of the tenancy if you agree to this. If your tenant has given notice but changes their mind, they can only stay if you agree in writing. If you do not agree, the tenancy will end as planned. If more than one tenant is on the same assured periodic tenancy agreement This is a ‘joint tenancy’. If a joint tenant wants to leave, one tenant will usually be able to end the joint tenancy without the agreement of the other tenants. If a joint tenant asks to give a shorter notice period, all the other joint tenants will need to agree to the shorter notice period. If a joint tenant changes their mind and would like to stay, all the other joint tenants must also agree. If they do not agree, then the tenancy will need to end. If some of the existing tenants want to stay, you can create a new tenancy agreement. New tenants can also be added to an existing tenancy agreement.

If you need your tenant to leave, you must have a valid reason and give them notice in a particular way. If the tenancy began before 1 May 2026 as an assured shorthold or assured tenancy, it became an assured periodic tenancy on 1 May 2026. You cannot serve a section 21 notice to end a tenancy from this date, even if the tenancy agreement says you can. How you can end assured periodic tenancies You can only end the tenancy if you have a valid reason. These reasons are known as ‘grounds for possession’. For example: you want to live in the property you want to sell the property your tenant owes you rent your tenant has broken any other terms of the tenancy your tenant has damaged the property your tenant has committed antisocial behaviour To end an assured periodic tenancy you must give your tenant a section 8 notice of seeking possession . The notice will need to include the grounds you’re using to end the tenancy. You need to give your tenant the right notice period. You must give at least the minimum notice for the grounds you’re using. This is usually at least 2 months, but can be up to 4 months. You can give more than this if you would like to. If you took a deposit from your tenant, you need to have complied with the rules relating to the tenancy deposit. You need to have kept the deposit safe using a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme . Your tenants will be able to give 2 months’ notice to end the tenancy at any point , unless you have agreed a shorter notice period. If you are renting to students Assured periodic tenancies cannot have an end date, even if you’re renting to students. You will be able to evict students using ground 4A at the end of the academic year if all of the following apply: all the tenants were full time students when they signed the tenancy, or you expected them to become full time students during the tenancy you are intending to let to full time students when you next let the property the tenancy was signed less than 6 months before the date the tenants could move in the property is a house in multiple occupation ( HMO ) or is part of a HMO you gave your tenants written notice that you may evict them under ground 4A before they signed the tenancy you gave your tenants 4 months’ notice of your intention to evict them - the notice period must end between 1 June and 30 September If the tenancy began before 1 May 2026 You have until 31 May 2026 to give your tenants the written notice that you may evict them using ground 4A. You can then serve a notice of seeking possession that gives your tenants 2 months’ notice instead of 4 months. You must do this between 1 May and 30 July 2026. You can use ground 4A even if the tenancy was signed more than 6 months before the date the tenants could move in. If your tenant does not leave the property You cannot remove your tenants by force. You may be guilty of harassing or illegally evicting your tenants if you do not follow the correct procedures. Illegal eviction is a criminal offence that can lead to a prison sentence. If the notice period expires and your tenants do not leave the property, you will be able to apply to court for a possession order to try and evict them.

Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords

Overview

An assured periodic tenancy (APT) is a type of tenancy held between a landlord and a tenant.

This guidance only applies to assured periodic tenancies. There’s different guidance if it’s another type of tenancy, such as a regulated tenancy.

A tenancy will be an APT if all of the following apply:

you do not live in the property
the property is your tenant’s main accommodation
tenants have their own room - they might share a bathroom or kitchen with other tenants

A tenancy cannot be an APT if:

you live in the property
the property is purpose-built student accommodation, the tenants are university students, and you’ve signed up to the National Code of practice
the tenancy has a fixed term of over 21 years
the rent is more than £100,000 a year
the rent is less than £250 a year (or less than £1,000 in London)
it’s a business tenancy or tenancy of licensed premises
the property is a holiday let

You cannot create an assured shorthold tenancy (AST). All assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.  

Tenancy agreements

You and your tenant should have a tenancy agreement. This is a contract which sets out the legal terms and conditions of the tenancy. It lets your tenant live in a property as long as they pay rent and follow the rules in the agreement.

The tenancy agreement can be written down or oral (a spoken agreement). If you have an oral agreement with your tenant, you must also give them the key terms in writing.

If more than one tenant signs the same agreement, it is a joint tenancy. All tenants on the tenancy agreement will be responsible for the rent.  

How long the tenancy lasts 

You cannot create an assured tenancy agreement with an end date (known as a ‘fixed-term tenancy’). If you do this, the end date will not apply. Your tenant can complain to the council and you could be fined.  

Assured tenancies must run on a rolling basis, for example, weekly or monthly. They cannot be for longer than a month at a time. This will mean that the tenancy continues until one of the following happens: 

you and your tenant decide together to end the tenancy   
your tenant decides to end the tenancy 
you regain possession of the property

If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026

On 1 May 2026, all assured tenancies, including assured shorthold tenancies, automatically became rolling tenancies. If the tenancy had an end date, it will no longer apply.  

You did not need to do anything for this change to take effect.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords

Overview

Tenancy agreements

How long the tenancy lasts

If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026

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Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords

Overview

Tenancy agreements

How long the tenancy lasts

If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026

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How long the tenancy lasts 