If you rent privately in England, your tenancy is almost certainly an assured periodic tenancy (APT). Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on May 1st, 2026, every existing assured shorthold tenancy (AST) automatically converted into an APT, and all new tenancies created from that date are APTs by default.
An APT gives you significantly more security than the old AST regime; your landlord can't evict you without citing a specific ground for possession under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 because there's no equivalent of the old Section 21 "no-fault" eviction. If your landlord wants you to leave, they must prove to a court that one of the legally defined grounds applies, such as persistent rent arrears, the landlord intending to sell the property, or the landlord needing to move in themselves.
Your tenancy is also periodic by default, meaning it rolls from one rent period to the next with no fixed end date. You're not locked into a fixed term, and you can end the tenancy by giving two months' notice at any time. Your landlord, on the other hand, can only end it through the courts using a valid Section 8 ground.
Deposit protection rules apply to assured tenancies in the same way they did under an AST. Your landlord must still protect your deposit with a government-approved scheme (DPS, TDS, or MyDeposits) within 30 days and provide you with the prescribed information. If they fail to do so, they can't use most of the Section 8 grounds, effectively blocking an eviction.
You moved into a flat in May 2026 on a new tenancy agreement, meaning your tenancy is automatically an assured periodic tenancy. 12 months later, your landlord tells you they want you out because they have found a tenant willing to pay more.
Under the old AST regime, they could have served a Section 21 notice and removed you without giving a reason, but they can't do this under an APT. Wanting to charge higher rent is not a valid ground for possession. Your landlord would need to use the formal Section 13 rent increase process instead, and you would have the right to challenge any increase you believe is above market rate at the First-tier Tribunal.
If your landlord wanted to sell the property, they could use the reformed Ground 1A, but they would need to give you at least four months' notice and couldn't use this ground within the first 12 months of the tenancy. You would have time to find somewhere else to live, and if the process were not followed correctly, you could challenge the notice.
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