AST to Periodic Tenancy 2026: £7,000 Fine & Next Steps

In short: Every assured shorthold tenancy (AST) still running on 1 May 2026 automatically became a periodic assured tenancy on that date, by operation of law. There was no separate transition window for existing versus new tenancies. The conversion itself needed no new agreement, but it did trigger a duty: landlords had to give converted tenants the required written information (the government information sheet) by 31 May 2026, with a civil penalty for failing to do so. The fixed end date became void, the tenant can now leave on 2 months’ notice, break-clause penalties are unenforceable, and you can no longer rely on a term expiring to recover possession.

If you had tenants on a fixed-term AST when the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force, this guide is for you. It explains exactly what happened to that tenancy on 1 May 2026, what changed for you and the tenant, and the one action you must not overlook.

This page focuses on the existing-tenancy transition. For how periodic tenancies work in general, notice periods, rent increases, day-to-day management, see the periodic tenancy guide, and for the wider reforms see the complete Renters’ Rights Act guide.

What Happened on 1 May 2026

On 1 May 2026, the core provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force. There was no phased rollout for existing tenancies: unlike the earlier Renters Reform Bill, which proposed treating new and existing tenancies on separate timetables, the Act applied to all assured shorthold tenancies simultaneously.

The mechanism was automatic. You did not need to sign a new agreement, serve a notice, or take any step for the conversion itself to happen. By operation of law:

• Every live AST became a periodic assured tenancy
• Any fixed end date became legally void
• Any break clause penalty or early-exit fee became unenforceable
• Any rent review clause became void
• Section 21 ceased to be available for any tenancy

The tenancy did not end and restart. It is the same tenancy continuing, just without a fixed term and under the new statutory framework.

What Changed for Each Party

The conversion was not just a technical relabelling. It shifted the balance of rights and obligations.

	Before conversion (fixed-term AST)	After conversion (periodic assured tenancy)
Tenancy length	Fixed term, then rollover	Periodic, no end date
Tenant leaving	Bound until term end (or break clause)	2 months’ written notice, any time
Early exit	Penalty often payable	Penalties void
Landlord possession	Section 21 at term end	Section 8 ground required
Rent increases	Sometimes via review clause	Only via Form 4A
Pets	Often banned by clause	Cannot unreasonably refuse

For the tenant, the headline gain is flexibility and security: they can leave when they need to, cannot be removed without a valid ground, and gained the new pet and rent-challenge rights.

For the landlord, the conversion had the most practical impact on possession planning. If you had intended to use the end of a fixed term to sell the property, move back in, or simply start fresh with a new tenant, that route is gone. Possession now requires a valid Section 8 ground, and some of those grounds, particularly selling or moving in, carry a 12-month initial restriction: you cannot invoke them in the first year of a tenancy.

That does not mean eviction is impossible. It means the process changed. The Section 8 grounds for a compliant landlord with a problematic tenant are available; the difference is that they are mandatory only when the specified threshold is met, and discretionary otherwise.

What Happened If Your Tenancy Had Already Gone Periodic

Some ASTs had already expired their fixed term before 1 May 2026 and were running as a statutory periodic tenancy. These were also assured shorthold tenancies under the Housing Act 1988, and they converted on 1 May 2026 just like any other AST. The practical effect was small: they were already periodic. But the statutory framework shifted, the tenancy became a periodic assured tenancy under the post-RRA regime rather than a statutory periodic AST, bringing it within the new Section 8 grounds, the Form 4A process, and the pet-request rules.

The One Action You Must Not Miss

The conversion was automatic, but a related duty was not.

When an existing tenancy converted, the GOV.UK overview for landlords confirms landlords had to provide the tenant with the required written information, the government-produced information sheet, by 31 May 2026.

Crucially, GOV.UK confirms you do not need to change or reissue an existing valid written agreement: “If you have a written record of the agreement between you and your tenant, you do not need to change the tenancy agreement.” You only needed to supply the information sheet.

This sits alongside the broader written statement of terms duty. Failing to provide the prescribed information to an existing tenant is a breach with a civil penalty, a starting point of £4,000, up to a £7,000 maximum, per the civil penalties guidance.

If you have not yet provided this information for a tenancy that converted in May 2026, you are already in breach. Provide it now and keep dated proof.

Your New Possession Routes After Conversion

With the fixed term void and Section 21 abolished, regaining possession of a converted tenancy requires a valid Section 8 ground. The Section 8 notice guide covers all the grounds and notice periods in full. The practical landscape for most landlords:

Rent arrears. The most-used mandatory ground is Ground 8, which the Renters’ Rights Act tightened: you now need three months’ arrears (up from two) at both the date of the notice and the date of the court hearing. Discretionary grounds allow the court to consider shorter arrears but do not guarantee a possession order. For a tenant who hasn’t paid, the tenant not paying rent guide covers the full escalation path.

Anti-social behaviour. Ground 14 covers behaviour causing nuisance or annoyance to neighbours or other people. Notice can be given immediately for serious cases; the court has discretion.

Wanting to sell. The Act introduced a revised Ground 1 for landlords who genuinely intend to sell the property with vacant possession. Critically, you cannot use this ground in the first 12 months of the tenancy. If your converted tenancy is still within that window, you must wait before this route opens.

Wanting to move in. A related ground covers landlords or their close family wishing to occupy the property as their only or principal home. The 12-month initial restriction applies here too.

Breach of tenancy obligations. Ground 12 covers non-rent breaches, unauthorised subletting, persistent noise, or damage to the property, for example. It is discretionary, so the court weighs the circumstances.

One key implication of the 12-month restriction: if your tenancy was still in its early months on 1 May 2026, you may not be able to use the sell or move-in grounds yet. The 12 months runs from when the tenancy started, not from the conversion date.

How Rent Increases Work After Conversion

Any rent review clause in an old AST agreement became void on 1 May 2026. From conversion, the only way to raise the rent is through the statutory Section 13 process, using a Form 4A notice.

The key rules:

• You can raise rent at most once per year per tenancy
• The Form 4A must give at least two months’ written notice of the proposed increase
• The tenant has the right to challenge the proposed amount at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), the Tribunal sets the market rent, not necessarily what you asked for
• A Tribunal challenge delays the increase taking effect; it does not prevent it

For tenancies that converted in May 2026, the earliest you could serve a valid Form 4A depends on when rent was last formally set or increased. If the tenancy ran for years on the same rent with no formal review, the clock likely started from conversion. The Form 4A guide covers the full process and the correct notice format.

Common Scenarios on Conversion

Your situation on 1 May 2026	What happened
Fixed term running, no issues	Converted to periodic; tenant stays; provide the information sheet
Fixed term due to expire in May-June 2026	End date became void on 1 May; tenancy continues as periodic regardless
Fixed term already expired (statutory periodic)	Already periodic; now a periodic assured tenancy under the Act
Tenant in arrears	Tenancy still converted; pursue arrears via Ground 8 (3 months required) via Section 8
You had planned to sell at term end	Term-end route gone; use Ground 1 (sale), subject to the 12-month restriction
Rent review clause was due to trigger	Clause is void; serve a Form 4A instead to propose a formal increase
Tenant broke a tenancy term	Use Ground 12 (discretionary breach) via Section 8, not a term-end

What This Does Not Change

Some obligations carried over unchanged, and it is worth being explicit so you do not over-react:

• Deposit protection. Because it is the same tenancy continuing, the conversion did not by itself create a new deposit-protection deadline. Keep the deposit in an approved scheme and ensure the prescribed information remains correctly served. If you are unsure whether your original prescribed information was valid, re-serving it is a low-cost safeguard. See the deposit protection guide.
• Gas and electrical safety. Your gas safety and electrical obligations are unaffected by the conversion and continue on their normal renewal cycle.
• Your buy-to-let mortgage. A periodic assured tenancy is still an assured tenancy under the Housing Act 1988. Most lenders accept it, but if your mortgage terms specify a minimum fixed term, confirm in writing with your lender, the periodic tenancy guide covers this.
• Rent in payment. The existing rent amount carries over. The conversion did not give you or the tenant grounds to renegotiate; change it only through the Form 4A process.

Practical Checklist After Conversion

1. Confirm the information sheet was provided to every converted tenancy by 31 May 2026, if not, do it now and keep dated proof.
2. Update your records to show every tenancy is now periodic with no fixed end date.
3. Retire your old AST template, remove fixed-term, break-clause, rent-review, and Section 21 references before the next letting.
4. Diarise rent-review anniversaries so you know the earliest date you can serve a Form 4A increase.
5. Plan possession around Section 8, not term ends, if you ever need to recover the property.
6. Check the 12-month restriction before assuming you can use Ground 1 (sale) or the move-in ground.
7. Register with the Property Portal if not already done, this is a separate RRA 2025 obligation; see the landlord registration guide.

The conversion is done and largely landlord-neutral if you run a professional operation, the property keeps earning, the good tenant stays, and the main effect is that the fixed term is no longer a lever. The things that bite are the missed written information and an incorrect belief that the old possession routes still work. Handle both and you are on solid ground.

For the full set of transition steps, download our free Renters’ Rights Act compliance checklist. For the mechanics of running a periodic tenancy from here, read the periodic tenancy guide and the Renters’ Rights Act timeline.

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Related guides:

• Periodic tenancy: the new default explained
• Renters’ Rights Act: complete guide for landlords
• The written statement of terms: a landlord’s new duty
• Section 8 notice: grounds, notice periods and process
• Form 4A: how to increase rent under the new regime
• Renters’ Rights Act timeline: all the key dates