Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) Explained: What It Was and Why It No Longer Exists in England

Assured shorthold tenancy meaning: a term you no longer use in England

If you are searching for the assured shorthold tenancy meaning, here is the headline you need first: the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) no longer exists for new or continuing private lets in England. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2026, abolished the AST as a tenancy type. Every private residential tenancy that would once have been an AST is now an assured periodic tenancy with no fixed term and no Section 21 “no-fault” route.

That does not make the term worthless. Understanding what an AST was is the fastest way to understand what changed, why your old paperwork is now risky, and what your obligations look like today. So this guide does two jobs: it preserves the legacy definition (because you will still meet the term in old agreements, online templates and conversations with other landlords), and it maps it onto the regime you actually operate under in 2026.

If you have been a landlord for any length of time, almost everything you learned about letting was built around the AST. Unlearning the parts that no longer apply, and keeping the parts that still do, is one of the most valuable things you can do this year.

What an assured shorthold tenancy used to mean

An assured shorthold tenancy was the default form of private residential tenancy in England and Wales from the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Housing Act 1996) right up to 30 April 2026. For most of that period, if you let a property to a private tenant as their main home and the rent fell within statutory limits, the tenancy was automatically an AST unless you took specific steps to make it something else.

The “shorthold” in the name is the key. An assured tenancy gave the tenant strong security of tenure. The shorthold variant traded most of that security away in exchange for a route, Section 21, that let the landlord recover the property without proving fault. That trade-off is what made the buy-to-let market work the way it did for three decades.

The four defining features of the old AST

• A fixed term, usually 6 or 12 months. After the fixed term ended, the tenancy typically rolled into a “statutory periodic tenancy” unless the parties signed a renewal. The fixed term gave both sides certainty: the tenant could not be removed during it (absent a breach), and the landlord had a clear horizon for review or recovery.
• The Section 21 “no-fault” possession route. This let a landlord regain possession after the fixed term without giving a reason, provided certain prerequisites were met, deposit protection, prescribed information served, a valid gas safety certificate, an EPC and the current “How to Rent” guide. Miss a prerequisite and the Section 21 was invalid.
• The Section 8 route for possession on specific statutory grounds, such as rent arrears or breach of the tenancy agreement. Section 8 sat alongside Section 21 rather than replacing it.
• Deposit protection in a government-authorised scheme under the Housing Act 2004, with prescribed information served (in practice within 30 days of receipt). This part survives intact today.

The AST gave landlords flexibility and certainty of recovery. That flexibility is precisely what the Renters’ Rights Act set out to rebalance.

How an AST differed from an “assured” (non-shorthold) tenancy

It is worth being precise, because the words are similar. A plain assured tenancy (the older, non-shorthold form) gave the tenant lifetime-style security: the landlord could only recover possession on a Section 8 ground. The assured shorthold tenancy was the lighter-touch version layered on top, with Section 21 attached. After 1 May 2026 the distinction collapses: there is one assured tenancy, it is periodic, and Section 21 is gone. In a sense, the law has moved the whole private sector back towards the security of the original “assured” model, just on a periodic footing.

Why the AST was abolished

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (see the legislation on legislation.gov.uk and government guidance on GOV.UK) removed two pillars of the AST in one move:

1. Section 21 was abolished. Landlords can no longer end a tenancy without a reason. Possession now requires a valid ground under Section 8.
2. Fixed terms were abolished. All assured tenancies are now periodic from the outset. You cannot lock a tenant into a 12-month fixed term, and there is no longer a separate “shorthold” category.

Because the AST was defined by its shorthold (Section 21) character and its typical fixed term, removing both effectively dissolved the category. What remains is a single tenancy type: the assured periodic tenancy. The policy logic was that “no-fault” eviction left tenants reluctant to complain about disrepair or to put down roots, while fixed terms trapped people in homes that no longer suited them. The Act’s answer was to make every tenancy open-ended for the tenant and grounds-based for the landlord.

For the full background, including why the Act replaced the earlier Renters (Reform) Bill, see our complete guide to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

What replaced the AST: the assured periodic tenancy

From 1 May 2026, every private let in England is an assured periodic tenancy. The key features:

• No fixed term. The tenancy rolls on a periodic basis (usually month to month, tracking how rent is paid).
• Tenant ends it on two months’ notice, at any time, in writing.
• Landlord ends it only on a Section 8 ground. There are around 37 grounds. Some are mandatory, some discretionary, and notice periods vary by ground.
• Rent rises by Section 13 only, once per year, using the current prescribed form on GOV.UK.
• Deposit rules are unchanged under the Housing Act 2004.

For a fuller treatment of the new default, see our guide on what a periodic tenancy is and why it became the new default and the comparison in fixed-term vs periodic tenancy in England.

AST vs assured periodic tenancy at a glance

Does this affect tenancies that started before May 2026?

Yes. There is no parallel “old AST” regime running alongside the new one. Tenancies that were ASTs before 1 May 2026 converted to assured periodic tenancies under the Act’s transitional provisions. In practice this means:

• You cannot serve a fresh Section 21 notice on a former AST. If you are still being told a Section 21 is valid, read is Section 21 still valid in 2026.
• Your old fixed-term clauses no longer bite to lock a tenant in. A tenant on what used to be a 12-month fixed term can now leave on two months’ notice.
• To regain possession you must use a Section 8 ground, such as Ground 8 (serious rent arrears, three months’ or 13 weeks’ arrears), Ground 1A (landlord selling, four months’ notice) or Ground 2 (mortgage repossession, four months’ notice). Always use the current prescribed Section 8 form on GOV.UK.

For how this fits the wider picture, see Section 21 abolished: what England landlords need to know and the routes that remain in how tenancies end in England in 2026.

Worked example: a “12-month AST” signed in March 2026

Imagine you signed a tenant onto a standard 12-month AST starting 1 March 2026, with the fixed term running to 28 February 2027 and rent of £1,200 a month. Here is how the picture changes the moment the Act commences on 1 May 2026:

1. The fixed term stops being binding. From 1 May 2026 the tenancy is treated as periodic. The tenant is no longer locked in until February 2027, they can serve two months’ notice and leave, say, at the end of July.
2. Your Section 21 plan disappears. If you had been counting on serving a Section 21 in late 2026 to recover the property “no-fault” at the end of the term, that option is gone. You would now need a Section 8 ground.
3. The rent-review clause in the agreement is void. If your contract said “rent increases by 5% annually,” you cannot rely on it. To raise the £1,200 you must serve a Section 13 notice on the prescribed form, no more than once in any 12-month period, and the tenant can refer it to the First-tier Tribunal, which cannot set the rent any higher than your proposed figure.
4. The deposit you protected in March is fine. Nothing about deposit protection changed. Provided you protected it and served the prescribed information, you are compliant.

The single most important takeaway: an agreement headed “Assured Shorthold Tenancy” did not become void, but several of its core clauses, fixed term, Section 21, rent review, simply stopped working overnight. That is why re-papering matters.

“AST”, “shorthold” and other terms you can stop using

Plenty of landlord vocabulary is now legacy. When you write a new agreement or update your records, drop or correct these:

• “Assured shorthold tenancy” / “AST”, replace with “assured tenancy” (periodic).
• “Fixed term” / “term certain”, there is no fixed term to grant.
• “Section 21 notice” / “no-fault eviction”, abolished; do not reference it as a route.
• “Break clause”, meaningless where the tenant can already leave on two months’ notice and you can only use Section 8.
• “Rent review clause”, banned; rent rises go through Section 13.

Keep the term “assured shorthold tenancy” only in a historical or search context. It still has search demand precisely because so many landlords have not yet caught up, but using it on live paperwork in 2026 signals an out-of-date agreement, and clauses copied from old AST templates can be unenforceable or even unlawful.

What landlords should do now

1. Replace your tenancy agreement. Any template still headed “Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement” with a fixed term and a Section 21 reference is out of date and potentially unenforceable in parts.
2. Update your possession process around Section 8 grounds and the correct notice periods. Start with our overview of how a Section 8 notice works and when you can use it.
3. Move rent increases onto Section 13, once a year, on the prescribed form. The mechanics are set out in Section 13 rent increases explained and the step-by-step in how to increase rent legally after the Renters’ Rights Act.
4. Check your pet policy. Tenants now have a statutory right to request to keep a pet (Housing Act 1988, sections 16A-16B). You must give or refuse consent in writing within 28 days (extendable by a further 7 days where you reasonably need more information), cannot refuse unreasonably, and cannot require the tenant to take out pet insurance. There is no “deemed consent” if you stay silent, but ignoring a request leaves you exposed, so always respond in writing.
5. Audit every active tenancy file. For each let, confirm the deposit is protected with prescribed information served, that you hold current gas and electrical safety records and an EPC, and that your contact and licensing details are correct. The Act tightened enforcement; sloppy records are now more expensive than ever.

A note on what is not yet in force

Some headline reforms are still being phased in. As at 18 June 2026, the PRS Landlord Ombudsman (expected around 2028) and the Private Rented Sector Database (phasing in from late 2026 into 2027) are not yet operational, and Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard are being extended to the private sector over time. Treat these as future obligations and keep your compliance records ready. Always confirm timing against GOV.UK before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Is my old AST agreement now invalid?

No, the document itself does not vanish, and your tenant relationship continues. But specific clauses stopped working on 1 May 2026: any fixed-term lock-in, any reference to Section 21, and any rent-review clause are no longer effective. The tenancy is treated as an assured periodic tenancy regardless of what the paper says. The practical answer is to issue a fresh, compliant agreement rather than rely on a part-defunct one.

Can I still serve a Section 21 notice on a tenant who signed an AST years ago?

No. Section 21 was abolished for all assured tenancies in England, including those that began life as ASTs before the Act. There is no grandfathering for no-fault possession. To recover the property you must establish a Section 8 ground and use the current prescribed form on GOV.UK.

What is the difference between an “assured tenancy” and an “assured shorthold tenancy”?

Historically, an assured tenancy gave the tenant strong security (possession only on Section 8 grounds), while an assured shorthold tenancy added the Section 21 no-fault route and was almost always the default for private lets. Since 1 May 2026 the distinction is gone: there is a single assured tenancy, it is periodic, and Section 21 no longer exists.

Do I need to sign a new tenancy agreement with my existing tenants?

There is no legal requirement to re-sign simply because the law changed, the conversion to a periodic assured tenancy happens automatically. However, issuing an updated agreement that reflects the current rules is strongly advisable. It removes misleading clauses, reduces disputes, and makes sure both sides understand the two-months’-notice and Section 13 positions.

Are deposits handled any differently now that ASTs are gone?

No. Deposit protection under the Housing Act 2004 is unchanged: protect the deposit in an authorised scheme and serve the prescribed information. The holding deposit cap of one week’s rent under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 also still applies. Getting these wrong still exposes you to penalties of up to three times the deposit and can block a possession claim.

Why does “assured shorthold tenancy” still appear everywhere online?

Because search habits and old templates lag behind the law. Millions of agreements, articles and letting-agent pages still use the term, and landlords keep searching it. Treat any current-dated content that presents the AST as a live tenancy type with caution, for England in 2026, it is a historical label, not a product you can grant.

Coming soon

Tenancy Pilot is launching soon with a Tenancy Agreement generator that produces a fully Renters’ Rights Act 2025-compliant assured periodic agreement, no fixed term, no Section 21, correct Section 13 rent mechanics and lawful pet wording, so you never sign an out-of-date “AST” again. It will sit alongside deadline alerts, a Section 8 notice builder and compliance tracking in one dashboard. Join the waitlist to be first to build a compliant agreement the day we go live.

This article is general information for England landlords, not legal advice. Verify the current position against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, and consult a qualified solicitor before acting on any tenancy or possession matter.