Giving notice after the introduction of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026
Want to leave your contract? What are your rights to do so? Here’s what you need to know.
After the Renters Rights Act 2025 is enacted on 1 May 2026, most tenancies will become periodic, meaning tenants can end their tenancy at any time after they move in by giving at least two months’ written notice to their landlord or managing agent. This gives tenants the advantage to leave properties when they need to or if the property is no longer suitable. As long as you have a Assured Periodic Tenancy, the size of the property will not make a difference to your ability to give notice. However the effects of giving notice vary depending on whether you are on an individual or joint agreement.
Potential problems for students whose tenancies expire THIS academic year, after 1st May 2026
- Example 1: You have a fixed-term tenancy agreement that says your tenancy will expire on 30 June 2026. FIND OUT MORE HERE
- Example 2: You have a fixed-term tenancy agreement for the period 15 August 2025 to 14 August 2026. FIND OUT MORE HERE
How do I give notice to end my contract?
Notice must be in writing, but email will count as written notice if that’s a normal method of communication between the parties (e.g. how rent statements or previous correspondence have been sent). It’s certainly recommended to read your tenancy agreement as this will likely state how notice should be given.
Your notice to quit must be in writing, but the landlord cannot require it to be in any particular format or wording. The safest way to give notice is to send it by signed-for post to the landlord’s address for service. This address is usually set out in your tenancy agreement or in the deposit protection prescribed information. However, you can also give notice by SMS or email.
The notice period starts the day after the notice is served. This may not be the same as the day the notice is sent, or the day the notice is received. You must allow enough time for the notice to be served. Always keep proof of how and when you sent it.
Even if the landlord does not actually receive the notice, the law may treat it as having been served on a particular date (“deemed service”). Your tenancy agreement may state when service is deemed to have taken place — for example, on the second working day after posting.
If your agreement does not contain any deemed-service provisions, service dates are determined by the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), rule 6.26, which are summarised HERE.
Your notice must be at least two months long and must end on the last day of a rental period.
What is the impact if I'm in a joint contract?
Giving notice impacts Joint and Individual contracts differently – if you are on a joint contract and 1 person gives notice to quit, technically that person has given notice for the whole house to be out the property in 2 months’ time. This is not ideal if some of the group want to continue to live there.
In this situation you are recommended to speak to your landlord and your fellow tenants as soon as possible to see if it’s possible for the rest of of the group to stay and under what terms.
What is the impact if I have an Individual contract?
If you have an Individual contract, only the person who has given notice has to be out in 2 months.
How do I know whether I have an individual or Joint contract?
Your tenancy agreement will show you whether it is an individual or joint contract – is it just your name? (it’s an individual one) or does it have all the names of the group (it’s a joint one)?
This change in the law is to give tenants more flexibility so they are not stuck in contracts or properties that don’t work for them should their circumstances change.
The type of contract will also be stated on the first page and will say 'Assured' or 'Common Law' or 'Licence' etc.
Are there any situations when I won't be able to give notice?
There are some exceptions, such as student halls. In this case you are likely to still be in a fixed term agreement – this will either be a Common Law Tenancy or a Licence Agreement. There are more restrictions around ending a contract and should you want to do so you should check with your provider and also seek advice from Unipol or your students’ union.