Periodic tenancies

A periodic tenancy is one that is ongoing, with no end date.
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What is a periodic tenancy? 

A periodic tenancy is ongoing, with no end date. It keeps going until either the tenant or landlord gives the appropriate notice following the rules in the Residential Tenancies Act.

An example of a clause in a tenancy agreement that shows it’s a periodic tenancy is:

“This is a periodic tenancy and may be ended by either party giving notice as required under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The tenancy will start on dd/mm/yyyy.”

The word “periodic” can be a bit confusing - it’s not something that gets used much in everyday language. For something to be periodic, it means it recurs at regular intervals, or happens from time to time. In the case of a tenancy, the tenancy continues from one rent period to the next, with no end date. Other words that might be helpful for describing this kind of tenancy are indefinite, ongoing or rolling.

Advantages and disadvantages of a periodic tenancy

The tenant can give at least 21 days’ written notice to terminate the tenancy at any time if their circumstances change and they want to end the tenancy. They are not locked into paying rent for a fixed period (which is the case with fixed-term tenancies).

While a periodic tenancy gives the tenant more flexibility to leave than a fixed-term tenancy, the tenant may also have less certainty because the landlord can end their tenancy by giving them 90 days’ notice to leave. The landlord does not need to give any reason for ending the tenancy. (Note, the right of a landlord to end a tenancy without giving a reason was reintroduced on 30 January 2025. For a period between 11 February 2021 and January 2025 a landlord could only end a periodic tenancy if they provided a lawful reason for this.)

 

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