{"id":39,"date":"2026-08-21T17:25:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=39"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:31:42","slug":"periodic-tenancies-and-check-outs-whats-changed-since-1-may-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=39","title":{"rendered":"Periodic Tenancies and Check-Outs: What&#8217;s Changed Since 1 May 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpc-gutenberg-block wpc-widget-hcis_post_periodic_tenancies ewb-gutenberg-block ewb-widget-hcis_post_periodic_tenancies alignfull wp-block-wpcursor-ewb-hcis-post-periodic-tenancies\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_periodic_tenancies\">\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header {\n  background: var(--color-secondary);\n  padding: 56px 24px 48px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header-inner {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__category {\n  display: inline-block;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.8rem;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  margin-bottom: 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header h1 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 2.1rem;\n  line-height: 1.3;\n  color: #fff;\n  margin: 0 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__meta {\n  display: flex;\n  gap: 16px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: #cbd5e1;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__body {\n  background: var(--color-background);\n  padding: 56px 24px 72px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 1.08rem;\n  line-height: 1.8;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h2 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.5rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 40px 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.2rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 32px 0 12px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content p {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ul,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ol {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n  padding-left: 24px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content li {\n  margin-bottom: 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content blockquote {\n  border-left: 3px solid var(--color-primary);\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  padding: 4px 0 4px 20px;\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content td {\n  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);\n  padding: 10px 14px;\n  text-align: left;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th {\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content strong {\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 40px auto 0;\n  padding: 24px;\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  border-radius: var(--radius-md);\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.98rem;\n  line-height: 1.7;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 32px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 0 0 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources ul {\n  margin: 0;\n  padding-left: 20px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources li {\n  margin-bottom: 6px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 24px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a {\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n  text-decoration: none;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a:hover {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"ewb-block-1\" class=\"wpc-widget wpc-widget-hcis_post_periodic_tenancies ewb-widget ewb-widget-hcis_post_periodic_tenancies\"><article class=\"hcis-post\">\n  <header class=\"hcis-post__header\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__header-inner\">\n      <span class=\"hcis-post__category\">Legislation<\/span>\n      <h1>Three Months of Open-Ended Tenancies: What the Renters&rsquo; Rights Act Has Done to Your Check-Out Process<\/h1>\n      <div class=\"hcis-post__meta\">\n        <span>1 August 2026<\/span>\n        <span>By Joanne Minchella<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <div class=\"hcis-post__body\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__content\">\n      <p>The Renters&rsquo; Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, and three months on, the practical effect on the end of a tenancy is becoming clear. Section 21 &ldquo;no fault&rdquo; evictions are gone, and every assured tenancy in England is now a rolling periodic tenancy from day one &mdash; there is no fixed term to count down to, and no guaranteed end date to plan a check-out around.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>The end of the predictable diary<\/h2>\n      <p>Under the old fixed-term system, agents and landlords could plan a check-out weeks in advance: the tenancy had a known end date, and everyone diarised around it. That predictability has gone. A tenant now serves two months&rsquo; notice, and that notice must end on the last day of a rental period &mdash; not simply two months from the day it was given. In practice this compresses lead times, clusters move-outs unpredictably across the month, and shrinks the access windows available for a proper check-out inspection.<\/p>\n      <p>For inventory providers and agents, this means the days of a leisurely fortnight&rsquo;s notice to book a check-out are largely over. Diaries need to flex, and access needs to be arranged quickly once notice is confirmed.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>Longer tenancies put more weight on the check-in report<\/h2>\n      <p>With tenancies now capable of running indefinitely, the gap between check-in and check-out can be years rather than months. That makes the original check-in report more important than ever &mdash; it is the only fixed reference point against which any deterioration, however gradual, can be measured.<\/p>\n      <blockquote>&ldquo;A detailed check-in report provides a baseline against which deterioration can be measured.&rdquo; &mdash; Sandy Bastin, TDS<\/blockquote>\n      <p>A thin or generic check-in report that was tolerable for a twelve-month fixed term becomes a genuine liability over a three- or five-year periodic tenancy, when the memory of the property&rsquo;s original condition has long since faded for everyone involved.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>Deposit compliance now blocks possession<\/h2>\n      <p>The removal of Section 21 has also raised the stakes on deposit protection. Previously, a landlord who failed to protect a deposit or serve the prescribed information could usually still recover the property via Section 21, even if a deposit claim went against them. With Section 21 abolished, a landlord who has not properly protected the deposit and served prescribed information is now barred from using Section 8 possession grounds entirely &mdash; except for grounds 7A and 14 (serious anti-social behaviour and similar). Getting deposit protection right at the start of a tenancy is no longer just about avoiding a penalty; it now directly affects a landlord&rsquo;s ability to regain possession at all.<\/p>\n      <p>Rent in advance has also been capped at one month, removing another tool landlords previously used to reduce risk at the start of a tenancy.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>What&rsquo;s coming next<\/h2>\n      <p>A Private Rented Sector Database is expected to begin rolling out from late 2026, with national landlord registration anticipated around 2027. Non-compliance penalties are expected to range from \u00a37,000 to \u00a340,000, adding a further layer of administrative obligation on top of the changes already in force.<\/p>\n      <p>Taken together, these changes make a well-documented check-in report and a properly managed deposit the two pillars a landlord&rsquo;s position now rests on &mdash; there is far less room than before to rely on ending the tenancy cleanly if either is missing.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__signoff\">\n      <p>Home County Inventory Services provides independent inventories, mid-term inspections and check-out reports to letting agents and landlords across Ashford, Folkestone and Canterbury. For a price list and current availability, call Joanne on <a href=\"tel:07940508934\">07940 508934<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:joanne@homecountyinventories.com\">joanne@homecountyinventories.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__sources\">\n      <h3>Sources<\/h3>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Renters&rsquo; Rights Act 2025<\/li>\n        <li>Propertymark<\/li>\n        <li>Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__back\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=38\">&larr; Back to the blog<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_periodic_tenancies\">\n(function() {\n  'use strict';\n  \n  const widgetId = 'ewb-block-1';\n  const widget = document.getElementById(widgetId);\n  \n  if (!widget) {\n    console.warn('EWB Widget element not found:', widgetId);\n    return;\n  }\n  \n  try {\n    \/\/ Widget: Blog: Periodic Tenancies and Check-Outs\n\/\/ Add your JavaScript here\n  } catch (error) {\n    console.error('EWB Widget Error [' + widgetId + ']:', error);\n    \n    \/\/ Show error in widget if debug mode enabled\n    if (widget.dataset.debug === 'true') {\n      const errorDiv = document.createElement('div');\n      errorDiv.className = 'ewb-error';\n      errorDiv.style.cssText = 'background: #fee; border: 1px solid #fcc; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; color: #c33; font-family: monospace; font-size: 12px;';\n      errorDiv.textContent = 'JavaScript Error: ' + error.message;\n      widget.appendChild(errorDiv);\n    }\n  }\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wpcursor-fullwidth","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-39","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/39\/revisions\/44"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}