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How much notice does a tenant have to give in England?

3rd October 2026
How much notice does a tenant have to give in England?

Short answer: Since 1 May 2026 a private tenant in England can end an assured tenancy at any time by giving at least two months' notice in writing, ending on a rent day or the day before. The landlord can agree a shorter period in writing. There is no fixed term to wait out and no fee for giving notice.

This guide is for both sides: the tenant deciding when to go, and the landlord receiving the notice. England only, private rented homes (council and housing association tenancies follow different rules); the law as at October 2026.

Situation Notice needed Earliest end date
Rolling tenancy, any month, including the first At least 2 months, in writing A rent day, or the day before, at least 2 months after notice
Landlord agrees a shorter period in writing The period agreed The date agreed
Fixed term signed before 1 May 2026, "end date" not reached At least 2 months: the end date no longer applies As for a rolling tenancy
Notice given before 1 May 2026 Stays valid The date in that notice
One joint tenant gives notice At least 2 months, signed by that tenant alone As for a rolling tenancy; it ends the tenancy for all the tenants
Both sides agree to end the tenancy now None, by agreement The date both sides sign up to

How much notice does a tenant have to give under the Renters' Rights Act?

Two months, in writing. Section 5(1ZA)(a) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, inserted by section 20 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, says a tenant's notice to quit an assured tenancy must be given not less than two months before the date it takes effect, unless the landlord has agreed in writing to a shorter period. Section 5(1)(a) of the same Act requires it to be in writing.

There is no prescribed form for a tenant: the prescribed-information rules apply to notices given by a landlord (regulation 2, Notices to Quit etc. (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1988). A letter or an email works, and a tenancy agreement cannot insist on one method (section 5A(1) of the 1977 Act, inserted by section 21 of the 2025 Act).

What date should the notice end on?

The government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 tells tenants to give notice so the tenancy ends on a day the rent is due, or the day before. Count two months forward; the earliest end date is the first rent day, or day before a rent day, that falls on or after that date.

With rent due on the 1st of the month, a notice given on 28 September can end the tenancy on 30 November. A notice given on 3 October cannot end it before 31 December. Five days later costs a month.

Can a tenant give notice in the first few months?

Yes. Section 4A of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by section 1 of the 2025 Act, makes any term providing for a fixed term "of no effect", so every assured tenancy runs from rent period to rent period. Section 5(1ZA) sets no minimum time before a tenant can give notice. Notice can go in the first week; the tenancy ends two months later at the earliest.

The 12-month protection you may have heard of limits the landlord, not you: it stops a landlord using certain grounds, such as selling or moving in, in the first year.

I signed a 12-month fixed term before 1 May 2026. Am I still bound by it?

No. Under section 146 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, a tenancy entered into before 1 May 2026 continues as a section 4A tenancy, so its fixed term stopped binding on that date (commenced by regulation 2 of S.I. 2026/421). The Information Sheet puts it plainly: if your tenancy had an end date, it no longer applies.

One saving: a notice given under the old rules before 1 May 2026 is still valid (Schedule 6, paragraph 9). The wider changes are on our Renters' Rights Act 2025 page.

What happens when one joint tenant gives notice?

The notice is valid on its own: section 5(1ZC) of the 1977 Act says a notice given by only one or some joint tenants is still valid. The others need not sign.

It also ends the tenancy for all of them, not just for the one leaving. Shelter's legal guidance for advisers, updated for the 2025 Act, states that a notice to quit from only one joint tenant is sufficient to end a periodic tenancy for all joint tenants, citing Hammersmith and Fulham LBC v Monk [1991] UKHL 6; Shelter's advice for renters says the same. So sharers should talk before anyone sends a notice. If the others want to stay, the usual route is a new tenancy for those who remain; see our tenants page.

Two things need everyone: agreeing a shorter notice period with the landlord (section 5(1ZB)), and withdrawing a notice once given (section 5A(3) and (4)).

Can the landlord and tenant agree an earlier end?

Yes. They can agree a shorter notice period in writing (section 5(1ZA)(a)(i)), or simply agree an earlier end date, which the government's overview for tenants confirms. Either way, put the date in writing and have every tenant sign.

Where we manage the home, there is also our optional Assisted Tenancy Replacement Process: help us find a replacement tenant and the tenancy can end sooner than two months, on conditions agreed in writing in advance, with no compulsory early-termination fee.

Changed your mind? A notice can only be withdrawn if the landlord agrees in writing (section 5A(3)).

What does the tenant still owe after giving notice?

  • Rent to the end date. Government guidance is that rent continues through the notice period. Moving out early does not end the tenancy sooner; an earlier end date agreed with the landlord does.
  • Nothing for days after the tenancy ends. If rent was paid for days after the end date, section 14ZC of the Housing Act 1988 (inserted by section 10 of the 2025 Act) entitles the tenant to that part back.
  • Fair deductions from the deposit, and only those. Loss is measured against the check-in and check-out reports. Our process is on deposit returns.

If a tenant asks to end the tenancy without giving the notice required, any payment the landlord takes for agreeing is capped at the landlord's actual loss, and an agent's at its reasonable costs (Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1, paragraph 7). More, including what landlords pay us when a tenant goes, in we get paid when you get paid.

What should a landlord do when notice arrives?

Check three things: it is in writing, it gives at least two months, and it ends on a rent day or the day before. A notice giving less than two months, without your written agreement, is not valid under section 5(1). Reply in writing with the earliest date that works, and do not hold a tenant to a pre-May 2026 end date.

Then book the check-out, plan the deposit return, and start the re-let while the tenant is still in. The step-by-step for a new-build flat is in the new-build tenant changeover.

What do we do when a tenant gives notice?

Clause 10 of our Landlord Terms of Business sets it out: we acknowledge the notice within two working days, confirm the end date and check-out, arrange the deposit return, close the tenancy on the agreed date and prepare the re-let.

For the landlord, the change of tenant costs nothing extra. Our standard fee is a single 10% of the rent, including VAT, charged only in months a tenant pays rent: £0 in a void, £0 to re-let.

We won't tell a tenant they owe rent past a valid notice date. If a notice has the wrong date, we tell both sides the right one.

Sources

Renting a home from us, or about to? Your notice, your deposit, repairs and how to complain are all on our tenants page.

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