RRA Assured Periodic Tenancy Now Available | Guild of Residential Landlords

Today (17 April 2026), we have launched the brand-new Renters' Rights Act assured periodic tenancy written statement in Tenancy Builder.

However, whilst we still await final legislation, it should not be used if the agreement will be entered into (signed by all parties) before 1 May (even if it is set to start after 1 May) or if it will start before 1 May. It should only be used if it is to be entered into (signed) and start on or after 1 May.

You could make it as a draft and send that now - just don't sign before 1 May.

The key date for when it's been entered into is the "Date of Agreement" field on page 1 of Tenancy Builder (usually left blank and completed during the digital signing phase).

For the reasons why it's important not to use the new agreements before 1 May, please see here.

If you will be entering into or starting before 1 May, continue to use the assured shorthold tenancy as now, and we recommend a six-month fixed term. On 1 May, it will automatically convert.

To use the new agreement, from the Tenancy Type field, select "Assured periodic tenancy (RRA 1 May 2026)".

Examples of when to use it and not to use it

Scenario	Date signed (entered into)	Tenancy start date	Use new APT?
Signed and starting after 1 May	5 May 2026	6 May 2026	✅ Yes
Draft created in April, signed in May, starting in May	2 May 2026	10 May 2026	✅ Yes
Signed on 1 May, starting 2 May	1 May 2026	2 May 2026	✅ Yes
Signed 30 April, but tenancy starts 5 May	30 April 2026	5 May 2026	❌ No — signed before 1 May
Signed and starting before 1 May	20 April 2026	25 April 2026	❌ No — use AST instead

New options

On selecting the new APT, you will find new fields, and some have been removed.

Removed fields

The last day of the fixed term has been removed because fixed terms are banned from 1 May, and you now just have a start date (the date the tenant is entitled to possession of the dwelling).

We have also removed the break clause for the same reasons.

New fields

On selecting the new tenancy, there are 3 new fields:

Student HMO - this is a new selection near the top of page 1 in Tenancy Builder. If you select Yes, the new ground 4A written statement will be automatically included in the written statement, allowing you to use the student HMO possession route. However, keep in mind that for new tenancies, you can only use ground 4A if the tenancy is entered into (signed and legally binding) within 6 months of its start.
Supported accommodation explanation: In most cases, leave this blank. It's only for voluntary organisations or registered charities that grant tenancies of supported accommodation. Under the written statement regulations, you must provide an explanation as to why it's supported accommodation. This box is on the last page of Builder near the top.
Is an agent involved? If you are a letting agent or a landlord using an agent, select Yes; otherwise, choose No (landlord only). This option inserts a dual repeat of the main terms provided by the agent, as per section 16D(8) of the Housing Act 1988. Please see here for more information about dual written statement requirements. This option is within the landlord signers section on the last page of Tenancy Builder.

Profiles

If you use profiles to quickly auto-fill commonly used entries when creating a new tenancy, you can update those now. We recommend creating a new RRA-specific one and starting to use it from 1 May. All the new fields can be pre-selected along with most other fields, making new creation much quicker and easier.

Things to watch out for and other notes

Due to Tenancy Builder's solid reliability, we know many customers build their tenancy and submit it for digital signing without first downloading and checking the PDF. However, please check these new ones for the first 3 or 4 new creations. Although we have thoroughly tested it, this is a brand-new tenancy built from scratch with new systems in place, so things might go wrong in the first few days. Please check them carefully before sending for digital signing. If you see anything wrong whatsoever, please don't hesitate to contact us.

If a customer ignores our advice and enters into the new agreement or starts before 1 May, we have included, by default, the government's Information Sheet 2026, which is required for existing tenancies on 1 May. However, this is a belt-and-braces approach; you should still issue the Information Sheet yourself between 1 and 31 May. We will remove this from inclusion in any new Builds on 1 May.

It may take time to update technical support pages, although it will be a priority. Be cautious with any LandlordAId chatbot tech support responses whilst we update all the documentation.

We have also introduced several changes today related to digital signing, AI inventory, and other areas, but we will write another article about them later.

Finally, if you haven't already, please take a look at our brand-new website, which will replace the England and Wales websites soon. There's a link in the menu at the top of every page to try the new website.