Ending a tenancy

Any type of tenancy can be ended by mutual agreement between the landlord and the tenant. The legal situation simply describes what happens when the landlord and tenant cannot agree.

Ending different types of tenancy

Assured Shorthold Tenancy

An assured shorthold tenancy can end in a number of different ways -

• The landlord can serve a section 21 notice requiring the tenant to leave at the end of the term
• The tenant can simply walk away at the end of the term
• The landlord and tenant can create a new assured shorthold tenancy by signing a new tenancy agreement
• The tenant can remain in place in which case a Statutory Periodic Tenancy is automatically created. This statutory periodic tenancy can be ended by the tenant giving the landlord a full rent period of notice or the landlord giving the tenant two full rent periods of notice.
• Through use of a section 8 notice. The section 8 notice requires a valid reason for repossessing the property but can be quicker than a section 21 notice and can also be used even during the fixed term of the tenancy.

Statutory Periodic Tenancy

A Statutory Periodic Tenancy can be ended in one of two ways

• The landlord can serve a section 21 notice giving the tenant two full rent periods of notice that they require the tenant to leave.
• The tenant can give the landord one full rent period of notice that they will be leaving.

Theoretically the landlord could also end the tenancy by serving a section 8 notice on the tenant. However it is almost always going to be easier to use a section 21 notice.