The rule since 1 May 2026
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 made almost every private tenancy in England an assured periodic tenancy on 1 May 2026. You end one with a notice to quit that:
- is in writing: a letter, email or text, and your landlord can’t insist on one way (Protection from Eviction Act 1977, s.5A);
- gives at least two months’ notice, or a shorter period your landlord agreed in writing — never more (s.5(1ZA));
- ends on the day your rent is due, or the day before (GOV.UK).
The two months run from the day your landlord gets it. A notice that ends too early, or on the wrong day, may not end your tenancy. Your landlord can agree in writing to let you go sooner. Once it’s given, you can only take it back if your landlord agrees in writing (s.5A), so start looking for your next home before you send it.
A worked example
Your rent is due on the 15th and you hand over your notice on 3 November 2026. Two months later is 3 January 2027, so the first day that ends a rent period is 14 January, the day before rent is due. The rent day, 15 January, also works. Your last rent payment is the one due on 15 December.
Any day up to 14 November still ends on 14 January. On 15 November it can still end on the rent day, 15 January; leave it until 16 November and the earliest end date is 14 February. One day can cost a month’s rent. Posting it? We add two working days.
Renting with other people
If two or more of you are named on the tenancy, one tenant’s valid notice ends it for everyone, including anyone who wants to stay (s.5(1ZC)). Talk to the others first: your landlord can agree a new tenancy with those who stay. A shorter notice period only counts if every tenant agreed it (s.5(1ZB)).
Tenancies that started before 1 May 2026
A shorter notice period in an older agreement usually still applies. GOV.UK’s one exception: a fixed term that ended before 1 May 2026, where the agreement doesn’t say what happens next. A clause asking for more than two months doesn’t bind you.
The old rules still cover a notice you gave before 1 May 2026, and a tenancy where your landlord served a section 21 or section 8 notice before then and asked the court for possession in time — within six months of a section 21 or twelve months of a section 8, and by 31 July 2026 at the latest — until that case ends (Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6). For those the calculator gives no date: check with Shelter.
What to put in your notice letter
Who you are, the address and the date your tenancy ends. Add a backup sentence, as in Shelter’s template, so a date that’s a day out still ends it at the end of the first rent period two months on. Ask for your deposit back — it’s due within 10 days of agreeing the amount (GOV.UK) — give a forwarding address, and keep proof it arrived.
If your landlord has given you notice
Since 1 May 2026 landlords can’t use section 21 for a new notice. A section 8 notice on Form 3A names a legal reason, or ground, and the minimum notice depends on it: four months to sell or move in, four weeks for serious rent arrears, none for some antisocial behaviour (Housing Act 1988, s.8). The notice ending doesn’t mean you must leave that day: only a possession order that is carried out ends the tenancy (s.5), and court action must start within 12 months of the notice. Get advice early from Shelter, Citizens Advice or your council. This calculator doesn’t check landlords’ notices.
Questions renters ask
How much notice do I give my landlord in 2026?
In England, if you rent privately: at least two months in writing, unless your landlord agreed a shorter period in writing. They can’t ask for more. It runs from the day your landlord gets it, and must end on the day your rent is due or the day before.
Does my notice have to end on the rent day?
It ends on the day your rent is due or the day before. With rent due on the 15th, it can end on a 14th or a 15th, at least two months after your landlord gets it. Any other day, and it may not end your tenancy.
Can I give less than 2 months’ notice?
Yes, if your landlord agreed to it in writing, in your tenancy agreement or by letter or email. A shorter period in an agreement from before 1 May 2026 usually still counts. A clause asking for more than two months doesn’t bind you.
What if I rent with other people?
One joint tenant’s valid notice ends the tenancy for everyone, including anyone who wants to stay, so talk to the others first. A shorter notice period only counts if every tenant agreed it with the landlord.
Do I have to give notice in writing?
Yes. A letter, email or text all count, and your landlord can’t insist on one way. Keep a copy and proof it arrived. A posted notice counts from the day it arrives, so post it a few days early.
Sources
Rules last checked 18 October 2026 against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk. Where they differ we follow the Act: GOV.UK gives a landlord’s notice as “usually 4 months” on one page and “usually at least 2 months” on another.
- GOV.UK — How to end your tenancy — Guide for tenants
- GOV.UK — Ending a tenancy that started before 1 May 2026 — Older agreements
- GOV.UK — Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants — Ending your tenancy
- GOV.UK — If your landlord wants to end your tenancy — Section 8 notices
- GOV.UK — Assured tenancy forms — Form 3A: section 8 notices
- GOV.UK — Tenancy deposit protection — Getting it back
- Protection from Eviction Act 1977, s.5 — (1) and (1ZA)–(1ZD), as amended in 2025
- Protection from Eviction Act 1977, s.5A — Giving and withdrawing notice
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025, s.20 — In force 1 May 2026
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6 — Paras. 3, 4, 9, 16 and 17
- Housing Act 1988, s.4A — Rent periods
- Housing Act 1988, s.5 — (1) and (1A)
- Housing Act 1988, s.8 — (3)(c), (4) and (4AA)
- Shelter England — Give notice to end your tenancy — How much notice, and a template letter