If you are still using your old AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) template, stop. The Renters' Rights Act (the legislation that abolished fixed-term residential tenancies in England) requires a different document - and the differences go deeper than most landlords expect. Tessa Shepperson of Landlord Law Blog published a detailed account on 11 April 2026 of what that drafting process actually looks like, clause by clause.
What Must Come Out
The first job is removal, not addition. According to Shepperson's account (Landlord Law Blog, April 2026), the following must go entirely from any Renters' Rights Act-compliant agreement:
All references to fixed terms
Payment of rent in advance
Rent review clauses
References to section 21 notices
References to ground 1 notices
These clauses are not just redundant - they are prohibited under the Renters' Rights Act. Leaving them in creates a document that misrepresents tenants' rights, which carries its own compliance risk. Check your licence conditions too if you run an HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), as some councils include specific wording requirements around tenancy documentation.
For a broader view of how the Renters' Rights Act sits within your overall lettings strategy, Property Filter's free resources hub covers the key regulatory changes and their practical implications.
The Key Information Section
This is the new addition that will take landlords the most time. The Renters' Rights Act's regulations prescribe specific information that must appear in every new tenancy agreement. According to Shepperson (Landlord Law Blog, April 2026), this section needs to be the first thing after the front sheet - not buried in the terms and conditions.
The required content covers parties to the agreement, tenancy periods, bills arrangements, deposit details, and equality obligations. On tenancy periods specifically, Shepperson notes that the new agreement needs to be "much clearer than existing agreements about when periods start and end." The Act (section 1(8)) also allows landlords to add a short alignment period at the start so the rent payment date lines up with the first day of the tenancy period.
On bills, Shepperson's draft provides three options: landlord pays and includes cost in rent (with a defined bills allowance); landlord pays and invoices tenants for the cost; or tenants are fully responsible. The first option includes a fair use policy allowing landlords to recover excess costs over the bills allowance - which matters if you are doing inclusive-bills lettings and facing rising energy costs. Property Filter's business and systems resources cover portfolio operations in more detail.
Equality Act and Deposit Clauses
Two areas that catch landlords out. On deposits, Shepperson notes that the new agreement needs to reference both traditional deposit schemes and alternative deposit schemes - the latter being increasingly common despite many landlords preferring traditional schemes for lower admin and quicker claim access.
On the Equality Act 2010, Shepperson flagged that the prescribed regulations require information about disabled tenants' rights to request improvements - but did not explicitly mention assistance dogs, despite this being raised in Parliamentary debates. Her draft includes an assistance dogs reference anyway. The council requires compliance with the Equality Act 2010 regardless of what the tenancy document says, but having the clause in the agreement removes ambiguity.
If you want to sense-check yield on a lettings property under the new regime, Property Filter's stress test calculator can model the numbers. And for broader property investment strategy context on navigating regulatory change, the blog covers portfolio approaches across different market conditions.
Key takeaways
The Renters' Rights Act requires removal of at least 5 categories of clause from existing AST templates, including all fixed-term references and section 21 notices
A new Key Information section is mandatory and must appear at the top of the document, covering tenancy periods, bills, deposits, and equality obligations
Bills arrangements need 3 clearly drafted options in the agreement; the inclusive-bills option should include a fair use policy with a defined bills allowance
Traditional and alternative deposit schemes both need to be referenced, not just one or the other
The Equality Act 2010 disability rights section is now a required clause - consider including an explicit assistance dogs reference even though the regulations do not specifically mandate it
