If you have let a property in England at any point in the last three decades, you almost certainly used an assured shorthold tenancy, or AST. It was the default private tenancy, the one nearly every letting agent handed over as a matter of course. That is no longer true. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, from 1 May 2026 you cannot create a new AST at all, and the tenancies you already had have changed shape. This page explains what an AST was, the features that defined it, and why the term is now largely a legacy one.
What an assured shorthold tenancy was
The AST comes from the Housing Act 1988, which created two kinds of private tenancy: the assured tenancy, which gave tenants long-term security, and the assured shorthold tenancy, which did not. The shorthold version let a landlord regain possession more easily, which is exactly why it became popular.
The Housing Act 1996 then made the AST the automatic default. From early 1997, any new private tenancy that met the conditions was an AST unless the paperwork said otherwise. So for a generation of landlords, "letting a property" and "granting an AST" meant the same thing. If the tenant lived there as their only or main home, the rent sat within the usual limits, and you as landlord did not live in the property, you had an AST whether the agreement used those exact words or not.
The features that defined an AST
Four things made an AST what it was, and it is worth knowing them because they explain what the reforms removed.
Deposit protection
If you took a deposit, you had to protect it in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme and give the tenant the prescribed information within the statutory time limit. This duty came from the Housing Act 2004. Getting it wrong carried real consequences, including a financial penalty and a block on serving a no-fault notice. Deposit protection did not disappear with the AST, so it still matters today.
The old Section 21 route
Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 was the "no fault" route. It let a landlord end an AST without giving a reason, provided the notice was valid and the deposit and other duties were in order. This was the feature that made ASTs feel low-risk to landlords, and the feature tenant campaigners most wanted gone.
The old Section 8 route
Section 8 was the fault-based route. To use it you needed a specific legal ground, such as rent arrears or a breach of the tenancy, and each ground carried its own notice period and evidence. Section 8 has not been abolished. In fact it now does most of the heavy lifting, and you can work out a notice date with our Section 8 notice period checker.
Fixed term or periodic
An AST usually started with a fixed term, most often 6 or 12 months. When the fixed term ended and nobody signed a renewal, the tenancy did not simply stop; it rolled on as a statutory periodic tenancy from one rent period to the next. So most landlords experienced both shapes over the life of a single let.
The key change: no new ASTs from 1 May 2026
Here is the update that makes this article necessary. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main tenancy reforms commenced on 1 May 2026 (see the government's Renters' Rights Bill collection). From that date the AST as a category no longer exists for new lettings.
Two things happened at once:
- You cannot create a new AST. As the government's guide for landlords puts it plainly, you can no longer grant an assured shorthold tenancy.
- Existing tenancies converted automatically. Every assured shorthold tenancy that was running on 1 May 2026 became an assured periodic tenancy on that date, with no action needed from you.
Alongside that, Section 21 was abolished, so the no-fault route that defined the AST is gone. If you served a valid Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 it stays enforceable in court only until 31 July 2026, and after that the route is closed. We cover the possession side in full in what replaced Section 21.
| The old AST | From 1 May 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy type | Assured shorthold tenancy | Assured periodic tenancy |
| Shape | Fixed term, then periodic | Periodic from day one |
| No-fault possession | Section 21 | Abolished |
| Possession route | Section 21 or Section 8 | Section 8 grounds only |
| New tenancies | Standard | Cannot be created |
What this means for agreements you write today
The practical point is simple: do not paper a new let as an AST. A tenancy you grant now is an assured periodic tenancy, and your agreement should reflect that. If you are working from an old template, the "assured shorthold" label, the fixed-term possession clauses and any reference to serving a Section 21 notice are all out of date and should come out.
A few things carry over unchanged, so do not overcorrect:
- You still want a written agreement. It is not the tenancy type that makes a written contract useful; it is the clarity. The government's tenancy guidance for renters still assumes there is one.
- Deposit protection still applies. Protect the deposit and serve the prescribed information as before.
- Rent periods are now capped at one month. You cannot take more than one month's rent in advance, and periods run monthly for a monthly-paying tenant.
For the mechanics of how the new tenancy starts, rolls on and ends, including how much notice a tenant must give, read assured periodic tenancy explained.
The short version
The AST was the workhorse of English lettings from 1997 until 2026: an assured tenancy stripped of long-term security, defined by deposit protection, a fixed-then-periodic shape, and the Section 21 no-fault route. From 1 May 2026 you cannot create one, existing ASTs became assured periodic tenancies, and Section 21 is gone. "AST" is now a term you will meet in old agreements and old advice rather than one you use for a new let. Treat it as history, and write today's tenancies as what they actually are.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Tenancy law is changing quickly, so check the current position on gov.uk or take advice from a solicitor before granting a tenancy or serving any notice.
