What is an Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT)?

An Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) is the official name for the tenancy type that replaced Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) when the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. You might also hear it called a "rolling" or "open-ended" tenancy.

Key features: no fixed end date - the tenancy continues indefinitely until either the tenant gives notice (usually 2 months) or the landlord ends it using a valid Section 8 ground. There's no more "6-month minimum" style commitment by default.

If your tenancy started before 1 May 2026: it automatically converted to an APT on that date, even if your paperwork still says "AST" - the legal reality changed regardless of what the document says.

This is closely related to periodic tenancy as a general concept, but APT is the specific, current legal term used since the reform - worth knowing both names, since people search for either.