Best Glossary of UK Landlord Terms: One Reference for Every Tenancy Definition

If you let property in England, you will meet a wall of jargon, and this UK landlord terms glossary exists to be the one reference you actually keep open. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came fully into force on 1 May 2026, a large slice of what older guides tell you is simply wrong: terms like “assured shorthold tenancy”, “fixed term” and “Section 21 notice” describe a regime that no longer exists. Every definition below has been corrected for the post-Section 21 world, written in plain English, and tied back to GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk so you can verify anything that touches your money or your legal position.

We have deliberately flagged the terms that have changed, been replaced, or been abolished outright, because those are exactly the words that catch landlords out, void their notices, and trigger fines. Use the headings to jump to the section you need, or read it end to end once to get your bearings.

Why a 2026 UK landlord terms glossary needs rewriting

Most landlord glossaries online still define “Assured Shorthold Tenancy”, “fixed term” and “Section 21 notice” as if they were live, usable concepts. They are not. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which you can read in full on legislation.gov.uk, abolished Section 21 no-fault eviction, ended fixed-term assured tenancies, and converted every assured tenancy to a single rolling periodic model.

That matters more than a typical legal tidy-up, because an out-of-date glossary is not merely unhelpful, it is actively dangerous. A landlord who trusts a stale definition might serve a Section 21 notice that has no effect, sign a “fixed-term AST” that binds nobody, or insert a now-banned rent-review clause. Each of those can cost time, money, or a possession claim.

Treat everything below as the current position for England only. Scotland and Wales have separate regimes whose terminology does not map cleanly onto England’s.

Core tenancy terms

These are the words that describe the type of letting you have. Get these right and the rest of the glossary falls into place.

Assured tenancy

The standard form of residential tenancy in England under the Housing Act 1988. Since 1 May 2026, virtually all private residential lettings are assured periodic tenancies, a single type that simply rolls on from period to period. The older sub-category of “assured shorthold” tenancy has been folded away.

Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

The legacy default tenancy that ran from 1997 to 2026 and allowed no-fault eviction via Section 21. The AST no longer exists for new or continuing tenancies in England. You will still see the abbreviation everywhere, on old templates, agent websites and downloadable forms, but you cannot create one today, and an agreement labelled “AST” is treated as an ordinary assured periodic tenancy. See our full explainer on what an AST was and why it is gone.

Periodic tenancy

A tenancy that runs from one period to the next (typically month to month) with no fixed end date. This is now the only structure for assured tenancies in England. The tenant can end it by giving two months’ notice; the landlord can only bring it to an end on a valid statutory ground (see Section 8). There is no automatic “end of term”, the tenancy continues until one party lawfully ends it. More in our periodic tenancy guide.

Fixed term

A tenancy committed for a defined period, such as 6 or 12 months, with break clauses and renewal dates. Fixed terms are abolished for assured tenancies. You can no longer lock a tenant in for a year, and equally a tenant can no longer be locked in against their wishes. Any “minimum term” or “tie-in” wording in a new agreement is unenforceable.

Tenancy agreement

The written contract setting out the terms of the let, rent, address, parties, responsibilities and house rules. Post-RRA it must reflect the periodic model and contain lawful clauses only. Prohibited or unenforceable terms (a fixed-term lock-in, a blanket no-pets ban, an automatic rent-review clause) have no effect even if both parties signed.

Joint and several liability

Where two or more tenants sign together, they are usually jointly and severally liable, each is responsible for the whole rent, not just their share.

Ending a tenancy and possession

This is the area most rewritten by the Act, and the one where using the wrong word can cost you a possession claim.

Section 21 notice

The abolished “no-fault” eviction notice that once let a landlord regain possession at the end of a fixed term without giving a reason. It can no longer be served. Any guide, template or letting agent telling you to issue a Section 21 is working from a pre-2026 rulebook. For what replaces it, see Section 21 abolished: what landlords need to know.

Section 8 notice

The notice used to seek possession on one or more of the statutory grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. With Section 21 gone, this is now the primary route to possession. You must use the current prescribed form on GOV.UK and state the correct ground(s) and notice period. Our Section 8 explainer walks through the full process.

Grounds for possession

The specific legal reasons a landlord can rely on in a Section 8 notice. There are around 37 grounds, split into mandatory (the court must order possession if proved) and discretionary (the court decides whether it is reasonable). The notice period varies by ground. Some grounds, including the old grounds 3, 4 and 16, were abolished by the RRA.

Mandatory vs discretionary ground

A mandatory ground (for example Ground 8, serious arrears) obliges the court to grant possession once the facts are proved. A discretionary ground leaves the outcome to the judge, who weighs whether it is reasonable to evict. Knowing which is which shapes how strong your case needs to be.

Possession order / warrant of possession

A possession order is the court’s decision that the landlord is entitled to the property. If the tenant does not leave, the landlord applies for a warrant of possession, which authorises County Court bailiffs (or, by transfer, High Court enforcement) to carry out the eviction. Evicting without a court order and bailiffs is unlawful.

Deed of surrender

A signed legal document recording that landlord and tenant mutually agree to end the tenancy, usually early and on agreed terms. It is a clean, consensual alternative to possession proceedings and avoids court entirely. See what a deed of surrender must include.

Abandonment

Where a tenant appears to have left permanently without ending the tenancy. There is no shortcut: the tenancy continues, rent keeps accruing, and a landlord who simply changes the locks risks an unlawful eviction claim. The safe route remains a court possession order.

Rent terms

Section 13 notice

The only lawful way to increase rent on a periodic assured tenancy. You must use the current prescribed Section 13 form on GOV.UK, you can increase rent at most once every 12 months, and you must give the tenant the proper minimum notice before the new rent takes effect. More in our Section 13 rent increases guide.

Rent-review clause

A contractual mechanism that used to allow rent to rise automatically on set dates or by a set formula. These are now banned. Rent can only increase through the Section 13 process, a clause purporting to raise it any other way is unenforceable.

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

The independent body a tenant can ask to determine a proposed Section 13 rent increase. Crucially, since the RRA the Tribunal cannot set the rent higher than the figure the landlord proposed. It can confirm or reduce the proposed rent, but never increase it, so a tenant challenge carries no upside risk for them and some downside risk for an over-ambitious landlord.

Arrears

Unpaid rent. The threshold for the mandatory arrears ground (Ground 8) is three months’ or 13 weeks’ arrears at both the date of notice and the date of hearing. Falling below the threshold before the hearing can defeat a Ground 8 claim.

Deposits and fees

Tenancy deposit

Money taken at the start of a tenancy to cover damage, cleaning or arrears at the end. It is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks’ rent where annual rent is £50,000 or more, under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. It must be protected in an authorised scheme.

Deposit protection scheme

One of three government-authorised schemes, DPS, TDS or mydeposits, which must hold or insure the deposit within 30 days of receipt, with the prescribed information served on the tenant in the same window. The rules sit in the Housing Act 2004 (ss.213–215) and are unchanged by the RRA. A custodial scheme holds the cash; an insured scheme lets the landlord keep it against an insurance premium.

Holding deposit

A reservation payment to take a property off the market while referencing is completed, capped at one week’s rent under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. See our holding deposit guide for how and when it can be retained.

Prescribed information

The statutory details about deposit protection, which scheme, where, how to get it back, how to raise a dispute, that a landlord must give the tenant. Failure to serve it can block a possession claim and expose the landlord to a penalty of one to three times the deposit.

Prohibited payment / banned fee

A charge a landlord or agent is not allowed to make under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, such as admin fees, referencing fees or charges for an inventory. Permitted payments are a short, defined list (rent, deposit, holding deposit, and limited default fees).

Compliance and safety

EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)

A rating of a property’s energy efficiency, valid for 10 years, required before you market a property to let. Minimum standards (MEES) apply and are tightening over time.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

The annual gas safety record produced by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It must be given to a new tenant before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of the check.

EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)

The electrical safety report confirming the fixed installation is safe. Required at least every five years and at the start of a new tenancy.

Right to Rent

The immigration check a landlord must carry out on every adult occupier before a tenancy begins, confirming they have a legal right to rent in England.

HMO (House in Multiple Occupation)

A property let to multiple unrelated households who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom, defined under the Housing Act 2004. Larger HMOs need a mandatory licence, and many councils run additional or selective licensing on top.

The RRA terms you must know now

These are the genuinely new concepts the Act introduced. Some are already binding; others are still being phased in.

Pet request

A tenant’s statutory right (Housing Act 1988, ss.16A–16B) to ask in writing to keep a pet. The landlord must respond in writing within 28 days, extendable by up to a further 7 days if more information is reasonably needed, and cannot unreasonably refuse. There is no deemed consent (silence does not equal a yes), and a landlord cannot require the tenant to take out pet insurance as a condition. See can a landlord refuse a pet in 2026.

PRS Landlord Ombudsman

A planned redress scheme that all private landlords will be required to join, giving tenants a free route to escalate complaints. Not yet in force, expected around 2028. Use the future tense when you see it.

PRS Database

A planned national register of private landlords and let properties. Not yet live, expected to phase in across late 2026 into 2027. Landlords will likely need to register before lawfully letting or serving certain notices once it is operational.

Awaab’s Law

A set of duties requiring landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards (such as damp and mould) within fixed timescales. Phasing into the private rented sector, not yet fully in force across the PRS.

Decent Homes Standard

A minimum property-quality benchmark long applied to social housing, now being extended to the private rented sector. Phasing in, not yet a settled PRS duty.

Note the tense. Everything in this last group is coming, not current. Do not act as though these duties already bind you in full, but do plan for them, because the direction of travel is clear.

Quick-reference table: changed and abolished terms

The fastest way to use this glossary is to check whether a term you have read elsewhere is still live. This table summarises the big shifts.

Term	Status in 2026	What to use / know instead
Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)	Abolished	All lettings are assured periodic tenancies
Fixed term	Abolished for assured tenancies	Periodic only; tenant ends on 2 months’ notice
Section 21 notice	Abolished	Section 8 on a valid ground
Rent-review clause	Banned / unenforceable	Section 13 once a year
Blanket “no pets” ban	Unenforceable	Right-to-request; respond in writing within 28 days
Pet insurance requirement	Not permitted	Cannot be made a condition of consent
Ground 8 arrears threshold	3 months’ / 13 weeks’	Test at notice and at hearing
Ground 1A (sale) notice	4 months	Use current prescribed form on GOV.UK
PRS Landlord Ombudsman	Not yet in force	Expected ~2028 (future tense)
PRS Database	Not yet live	Phasing late 2026–2027

Notice periods and arrears thresholds are precise figures set out in statute and updated by the prescribed forms. Always confirm the current ground, notice period and form on GOV.UK before serving anything.

Worked example: spotting the out-of-date terms

Suppose you find a “free landlord pack” online dated March 2025 and it offers you the following. Here is how to read it through the 2026 glossary.

• “Use our 12-month AST template.” Two dead terms in one phrase. There is no AST and no 12-month fixed term; the agreement would simply be an assured periodic tenancy, and the lock-in would not bind the tenant.
• “If you want them out, serve a Section 21, no reason needed.” Abolished. You would need a valid Section 8 ground, the current prescribed form and the correct notice period.
• “Add our rent-review clause to raise rent each year automatically.” Banned. Any increase must go through a Section 13 notice, at most once every 12 months.
• “Charge a £150 referencing fee and require pet insurance.” The fee is a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and you cannot require pet insurance as a condition of allowing a pet.

Every one of those lines looked normal in 2024. In 2026 each is dead, banned, or a fine waiting to happen, which is exactly why a current glossary earns its place on your desk.

How to use this glossary

Three habits will keep you out of trouble:

1. Check the date of your source. If a guide predates 1 May 2026 and uses “AST”, “Section 21” or “fixed term” as live concepts, distrust it.
2. Verify the form. Always serve the current prescribed Section 8 or Section 13 form from GOV.UK, never a saved PDF from last year, because the prescribed wording changes.
3. Confirm the number. Notice periods and arrears thresholds are precise; getting one wrong can void a notice entirely and send you back to the start.

Frequently asked questions

Is “assured shorthold tenancy” still a real thing in England?

No. The AST was abolished by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. From 1 May 2026 there is a single assured periodic tenancy. You will still see “AST” on old templates and agent sites, but you cannot create one, and an agreement labelled that way is treated as an ordinary assured periodic tenancy.

Can I still serve a Section 21 notice if my old tenancy started before May 2026?

No. Section 21 is abolished for all assured tenancies in England, including those that began before the Act came into force. The only lawful possession route now is a Section 8 notice on a valid ground using the current prescribed form on GOV.UK.

Does the Renters’ Rights Act apply across the whole UK?

No, this glossary is for England. Scotland and Wales have separate systems (private residential tenancies in Scotland, occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 in Wales) with different terminology and rules.

How often can I increase the rent, and how?

At most once every 12 months, and only by serving a Section 13 notice on the current prescribed GOV.UK form. Rent-review clauses are banned. If the tenant challenges the increase at the First-tier Tribunal, the Tribunal cannot set the rent higher than the figure you proposed.

Are the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman live yet?

Not as at 18 June 2026. The PRS Database is expected to phase in across late 2026 into 2027, and the PRS Landlord Ombudsman is expected around 2028. Treat both as future obligations to plan for, not current duties.

Can I still refuse a tenant’s request to keep a pet?

You can refuse, but only with a reasonable reason, given in writing within 28 days (extendable by up to 7 more days if you reasonably need more information). A blanket “no pets” ban is unenforceable, silence is not consent, and you cannot make pet insurance a condition. See our pet rules guide linked above.

Coming soon

Tenancy Pilot is launching soon, an all-in-one command centre for England landlords, with deadline alerts, compliant document generators (tenancy agreement, Section 8 notice, Section 13 rent increase notice, pet permission, deed of surrender and more), certificate and compliance tracking, and an AI assistant that answers exactly the kind of “is this term still real?” questions this glossary covers, grounded in the current rules. Think of it as this glossary turned into a working tool that drafts the right document and tracks the right deadline so you never act on a dead concept. Join the waitlist to be first in when we launch.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The law changes and individual circumstances differ, always check the current position on GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, and consult a qualified solicitor before acting.