Tenancy agreements overview

A tenancy agreement is a contract between the landlord and their tenant.

The Renters’ Rights Act will change laws about renting and this guidance has been published to help private rented sector landlords and letting agents prepare. The new rules will apply on or after 1 May 2026. For information on the current law, refer to the existing tenancy agreements guidance.

A tenancy agreement is a contract between you and your tenant. It sets out the legal terms and conditions of the tenancy.  

This guidance will only apply to assured tenancy agreements. There will be different rules for lodgers, licencees and regulated tenancies. 

The agreement lets your tenant live in a property as long as they pay rent and follow the rules in the agreement. It can be in writing or oral (a spoken agreement).  

In future, if you have an oral agreement with your tenant, you will need to also give them a written statement of key terms.  

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

How long the tenancy lasts  

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

Assured tenancies will always run on a rolling basis, for example, weekly or monthly. It will not be possible for them to be longer than a month at a time. This will mean that the tenancy will continue until:  

  • you and the tenant decide together to end the tenancy    

  • the tenant decides to end the tenancy  

  •  you regain possession of the property  

If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026

On or after 1 May 2026, it will not be possible for tenancy agreements to have a set end date.   

All tenancy agreements will automatically become rolling tenancies on this date. If the tenancy had an end date, it will no longer apply.   

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

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