Can I Move More Easily Now Fixed Terms Have Gone?
Fixed terms are gone. Since 1 May 2026 every assured tenancy in England is periodic, which means you're no longer locked in until a date somebody chose eighteen months ago.
That's a genuine change in how easy it is to leave, and there are a couple of things worth knowing before you serve notice.
The short version
- You can leave at any time with two months' notice. No fixed term to serve out, no waiting for a renewal date.
- Existing tenancies converted automatically on 1 May 2026. You didn't need to sign anything.
- Early termination fees are gone with the fixed terms that created them.
- On a joint tenancy, your notice ends it for everyone. This is the one that catches people out.
What changed
Under the old system you signed for six or twelve months and that was that. Leaving early meant either finding a replacement tenant the landlord accepted, paying rent until the end of the term, or negotiating a surrender and usually paying for the privilege.
Most existing assured shorthold tenancies converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, automatically. No new agreement, no signature, nothing you had to do.
A periodic tenancy runs from period to period with no end date, and you end it by giving notice. Two months, at any point.
How to give notice properly
- In writing. Email is fine if you keep it, but a letter is cleaner. Say clearly that you're giving notice to end the tenancy.
- State the date the tenancy ends, at least two months from when they receive it.
- Keep proof of sending. A sent email, or a free proof of posting from the Post Office.
- Ask them to confirm receipt in writing.
Don't rely on a phone call or a conversation at an inspection. If a dispute arises later about when you gave notice, you'll want the paperwork.
The joint tenancy trap
If your name is on a joint tenancy with other people, this matters enormously.
Any one joint tenant can serve notice, and it ends the tenancy for everybody. You don't need the others' agreement, and equally they don't need yours. The Act confirms that a notice given by only one or some of the joint tenants is valid.
So if you serve notice because you've got a job elsewhere, everyone in the house has to leave. And if a housemate does it, so do you.
The notice period is two months, and it can only be shortened if the landlord and every tenant agree in writing.
In practice most people talk first. But don't assume there's a protection here that stops one person deciding for the household, because there isn't. Shared house rights covers joint versus individual agreements and why the difference matters.
Things that are easier now
Moving for work. Two months, from any point, rather than being tied to a term.
Leaving a bad property. If the place has problems the landlord won't fix, you no longer have to choose between staying eight more months or paying to get out. That said, do consider whether it's worth pursuing the repairs first, because moving costs money and the next place is an unknown. What to do when a landlord won't repair sets out the free routes.
Relationship changes. Moving in with someone, or moving out after a split, without a fixed term dictating the timing.
Trying an area. You can take somewhere and leave after four months if it isn't right.
Things that haven't changed
You still owe rent for the notice period. Two months' notice means two months' rent, whether you're living there or not. Moving out early doesn't stop the clock.
Your deposit still works the same way. Protected in a scheme, returned within ten days of an agreed amount, with deductions needing evidence. Your deposit rights and getting it back cover the end of tenancy properly.
You still have to leave it in reasonable condition. Fair wear and tear excepted, as it was at check-in.
Arrears still matter. Leaving owing rent follows you, and can affect future referencing.
Should you actually move?
The flexibility cuts both ways. It's easier to leave, which makes it easier to leave for the wrong reasons.
Moving costs real money: a new deposit before the old one comes back, time off work, removals, and setting up utilities again. Our guide on what renting actually costs has the figures, and staying or moving on weighs it up properly.
The other side is that you now have more security if you stay. There's no Section 21, so nobody can move you on without a stated ground they can prove. If your reason for looking was fear of being asked to leave, that fear is largely obsolete.
Before you go
- Photograph everything on the day you hand back the keys, dated.
- Attend the check-out if you can, or send someone.
- Get the deposit process started in writing straight away.
- Take final meter readings and photograph them.
- Leave a forwarding address, so nothing important goes missing.
Our guide to moving covers the rest.
The short answer
Yes, moving is genuinely easier. Two months' notice, any time, no fixed term and no early termination fee.
Give notice in writing, keep proof, and pay the rent for the notice period. And if you share, talk to the household first, because your notice ends it for all of you.
Wherever you end up, review the place you're leaving. It takes a few minutes, and it's the only way the next tenant finds out what you learned the hard way.
This guide covers England and reflects the Renters' Rights Act as in force from 1 May 2026. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. General information rather than legal advice, and your own agreement may contain terms worth checking. Sources: GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants, Shelter, ending a joint tenancy.