What is a Tenancy Agreement?

The Death of the AST: The Shift to Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs)

Recent housing reforms have brought a major change: Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) and fixed-term contracts are no longer allowed. This means landlords and tenants are no longer tied to six- or twelve-month agreements.

Now, all private residential tenancies are Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs) by default. These have no set end date and continue as long as rent is paid, usually on a monthly or weekly basis. Tenants can leave at any time by giving two months’ written notice. Landlords can only take back the property by proving certain legal reasons in court. Fixed-term leases are no longer used and have been replaced by this flexible, ongoing arrangement.

Unalterable Statutory Rights Within the Contract

A tenancy agreement must follow the law, which overrides any special terms or side agreements. If the contract includes terms that go against the law, those terms are not valid.

Under the new rules, tenants can leave their tenancy at any time by giving at least two months’ written notice, with the notice ending on the last day of a rental period.

Similarly, arbitrary rent-review clauses are now legally null and void. Landlords can only increase the rent once per year, and they must do so by serving an official statutory Form 4A notice with at least two months’ warning. If the proposed increase exceeds the market rate, tenants retain the statutory right to challenge it before the First-tier Tribunal.

Tenants now have the right to ask for a pet, and landlords cannot refuse without a good reason. Landlords can ask tenants to have pet liability insurance to protect the property. Any contract terms that try to avoid these rights are not valid.

Enforcing the Terms: The New Section 8 Framework

Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions have been removed, which changes how tenancy agreements work. Since there is no fixed end date, landlords cannot take back a property just because the preceding term has ended.

Instead, ending a tenancy against a resident’s wishes requires executing a reformed Section 8 procedure. Landlords must present strict, court-admissible evidence that corresponds to specific statutory grounds:

• Ground 1 (Owner Occupation) & Ground 1A (Sale of Property): If a landlord wants to sell the home or move back into it, they must provide four months’ written notice. Crucially, these grounds cannot be triggered within the first 12 months of a new tenancy.
• Ground 8 (Rent Arrears): Persistent non-payment of rent requires a four-week notice period.

With these changes, tenants are better protected from unfair evictions. Landlords can only ask tenants to leave for clear, legal reasons, which helps balance the landlord’s rights with the tenant’s need for a stable home.

Why Crown Luxury Homes?

Modern UK housing laws can be complicated. At Crown Luxury Homes, we make sure your tenancy agreements are ready for these new rules and help protect your property.

Our contracts are engineered in collaboration with leading real estate legal specialists to fit perfectly with post-reform periodic standards. This exacting drafting process makes certain that your tenancy agreements are compliant, legally robust, and up to date to protect your interests.

We protect your assets by balancing tenant flexibility with strong safeguards for landlords. Our property management includes all the right Section 8 notices and detailed inventory checks, helping you avoid disputes or delays.

Our expert team helps both UK and international clients understand the details of open-ended tenancies. We make complicated legal changes easy to manage, so your investments stay secure, compliant, and profitable when you work with Crown Luxury Homes.

The Modern Tenancy Agreement Core Concepts Matrix