The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026

Made: 18th March 2026

Coming into force: 1st May 2026

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 8(3) and (7), 13(2), 24A(2), 39(9)(a) and (b) and 45(1) and (5) of the Housing Act 1988[^f00001].

Citation, commencement and extent

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026.

• (2) These Regulations come into force on 1st May 2026.

• (3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.

Interpretation

2

In these Regulations—

• “the 1988 Act” means the Housing Act 1988;

• “the 2025 Act” means the Renters’ Rights Act 2025[^f00002];

• “private assured tenancy” means an assured tenancy[^f00003] that is not a social housing assured tenancy;

• “social housing assured tenancy” means an assured tenancy of social housing (within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008[^f00004]) where the landlord is a private registered provider of social housing.

Prescribed forms for private assured tenancies

3

• (1) In relation to private assured tenancies, the forms prescribed for the purposes of Part 1 of the 1988 Act are—

• (a) for a notice under section 39(9)(a) of the 1989 Act (statutory tenants: succession) proposing different terms, and if appropriate an adjustment to the amount of the rent, for an assured tenancy arising by way of succession from a tenancy under the Rent Act 1977[^f00005] or the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976[^f00006], Form 1A in the Schedule,

• (b) for an application under section 39(9)(b) of the 1988 Act (statutory tenants: succession) referring a notice under section 39(9)(a) of that Act to an appropriate tribunal, Form 2A in the Schedule,

• (c) for a notice under section 8 of the 1988 Act (notice of proceedings for possession) informing a tenant or licensee that the landlord intends to begin proceedings for possession of a dwelling-house let on an assured tenancy or an assured agricultural occupancy, the version of the form published by the Secretary of State that has effect at the time the requirement applies (in this regulation “Form 3A”),

• (d) for a notice under section 13(2) of the 1988 Act (increases of rent) proposing a new rent for an assured tenancy of premises, Form 4A in the Schedule,

• (e) for a notice under section 13(2) of 1988 Act (increases of rent) proposing a new rent or licence fee for an assured agricultural occupancy of premises, Form 5A in the Schedule,

• (f) for a notice under section 24A(2) of the 1988 Act (opting out) by the landlord to the prospective tenant, stating that the tenancy is not to be an assured agricultural occupancy, Form 9A in the Schedule,

or a form substantially to the like effect.

• (2) Form 3A referred to in paragraph (1)(c) must be—

• (a) published by the Secretary of State on a website maintained by or on behalf of the Secretary of State, and

• (b) made available for inspection by members of the public during normal office hours at the principal office of the Secretary of State.

Revocations

4

The Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) Regulations 2015[^f00007] are revoked in relation to any private assured tenancy.

Savings and transitional provisions

5

• (1) Notwithstanding the revocation in regulation 4, the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) Regulations 2015, as they had effect immediately before 1st May 2026, continue to apply—

• (a) in relation to a private assured tenancy to which paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act applies, until the possession proceedings referred to in paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 to that Act are concluded;

• (b) in relation to a private assured tenancy to which paragraph 4 of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act applies, until the notice under section 21 of the 1988 Act ceases to be valid by virtue of paragraph 4(3) of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act;

• (c) in relation to a private assured tenancy to which paragraph 16 of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act applies, until the possession proceedings referred to in paragraph 16 of Schedule 6 to that Act are concluded including where there is a delay to the conclusion of those proceedings due to operation of regulation 8 or 9 of the Breathing Space Regulations;

• (d) in relation to a private assured tenancy to which paragraph 17 of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act applies, until the notice under section 8 of the 1988 Act ceases to be valid by virtue of paragraph 17(2) of Schedule 6 to the 2025 Act including where that notice ceases to be valid following an extension to the applicable period in paragraph 17 due to operation of regulation 8 or 9 of the Breathing Space Regulations;

• (e) in relation to the prescribed form of a saved section 6 application in respect of a private assured tenancy, where a notice under section 6(2) of the 1988 Act to which that application relates was given before 1st May 2026;

• (f) in relation to the prescribed form of a saved rent increase application in respect of a private assured tenancy, where a notice under section 13(2) of the 1988 Act to which that application relates was given before 1st May 2026.

• (2) In this regulation—

• “the Breathing Space Regulations” means the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020[^f00008];

• “saved rent increase application” means an application, made on or after 1st May 2026, under section 13(4) of the 1988 Act, as that provision had effect immediately before 1st May 2026;

• “saved section 6 application” means an application, made on or after 1st May 2026, under section 6(3) of the 1988 Act, as that provision had effect immediately before 1st May 2026.

SCHEDULE — Forms: private assured tenancies

Signed

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Matthew Pennycook — Minister of State — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — 18th March 2026

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations make provision in relation to the forms to be used under the Housing Act 1988 in relation to a private sector assured tenancy.

Regulation 3 prescribes the new forms, set out in the Schedule, which are to apply to any assured tenancy (except an assured tenancy in relation to social housing). In relation to the notice for possession proceedings under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, the regulation provides for this to be a form published by the Secretary of State (as replaced from time to time) and sets out the requirements in relation to its publication which include the form being available for inspection during normal office hours at the principal offices of the Secretary of State (2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF).

Regulation 4 revokes the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) Regulations 2015 in relation to any private assured tenancy.

Regulation 5 makes transitional provisions in relation to cases where the existing forms in the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) Regulations 2015 will continue to apply.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as a full assessment was produced in relation to the 2025 Act. Copies can be obtained at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0127/amend/Renters_Rights_Bill-IA.pdf or from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1988 c. 50. Section 8(3) is amended by section 151 of the Housing Act 1996 (c. 52), section 97 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (c. 12) and section 3 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (c. 26) (“2025 Act”), and subsection (7) is inserted by section 5 of the 2025 Act. Section 13(2) was amended by S.I. 2003/259 and section 6 of the 2025 Act. Section 24A is inserted by section 24 of the 2025 Act. Section 39(9) is substituted by paragraph 32 of Schedule 2 to the 2025 Act. There are other amendments not relevant to these Regulations. See section 45(1) for the definition of “prescribed”.

[^f00002]: 2025 c. 26.

[^f00003]: See section 1 of the Housing Act 1988 for the definition of “assured tenancy”.

[^f00004]: 2008 c. 17. See section 68 for the definition of “social housing”.

[^f00005]: 1977 c. 42.

[^f00006]: 1976 c. 80.

[^f00007]: S.I. 2015/620.

[^f00008]: S.I. 2020/1311.