The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 was passed in November 2025 and will change how tenancies work. The changes will start to take effect from 1st May 2026 and will therefore impact tenancies for the 2025/26 academic year as well as all future tenancies.
The Act will affect the entire private rented sector. The rules relating to student tenancies are complicated, and how students will be affected will depend on who they rent from. The Government’s Guide to the Renters’ Rights Bill can be found here, but we have tried to pull out the relevant content and reduce any confusing jargon in our own easy to understand summary.
Current Tenancies & Notices
Most tenants who rent from a private landlord will have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) as their contract type. This runs for a fixed term, meaning the contract has a definitive start and end date (which in student properties is usually in line with the academic year). When an AST is the contract type, the landlord can bring the tenancy to an end by serving a two-month notice (Section 21 notice) so long as the fixed term has ended. Once the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force, ASTs and Section 21 notices will be abolished. If you have an AST, it will automatically become an Assured Periodic Tenancy.
Future Tenancies & Notices
For all tenancies that commence after 1 May 2026, Landlords and Providers (*unless exempt from the Act*) will have to issue an Assured Tenancy. This means that:
- The contract can no longer be for a fixed term
- Tenants can decide when they want the tenancy to end by giving at least two months’ notice (formally informing your landlord that you want to end the contract)
- Landlords will need to have a reason to evict a tenant.
New Rights for students in non-exempt accommodation
Once the Act comes into effect a tenant with an Assured Tenancy:
- Will be able to terminate their contract by giving at least two months’ notice
- Will be able to pay monthly if they choose to (unless other terms were agreed before 1st May 2026)
Once the Act comes into effect a landlord:
- Won’t be able to request more than 1 month’s rent upfront regardless of whether you are from the UK or overseas. (NB: this does not apply if you signed your 2026/27 contract before 1st May 2026)
- Can only increase the rent by issuing a Section 13 Notice
** Student-specific Notice Type
The Government has agreed an exception for Landlords of student HMOs (House in Multiple Occupation) which allows them to give student tenants notice in order to get the property back for a new group of students for the next academic year. This notice will be known as a Ground 4a notice and your landlord must advise you at the start of your tenancy that they intend to use this by issuing a written statement If your landlord intends to use this Ground, they will need to give you at least 4 months’ notice and specify a date between June and September that they wish you to leave (gain possession)
Ending a 25/26 Tenancy
The only way you can be certain that your current (2025/26) tenancy will end on the day you expect it to, is to submit a Notice to Quit to your landlord. If you don’t, you could be held liable for the ongoing rent. (Unipol explain more about notices here)
Ahead of the 1 May 2026 implementation date, your landlord may issue you with a Section 21 notice advising that they want possession of the property on the tenancy end date which was originally agreed and set out in your AST. This is nothing to be alarmed about, you were already expecting to move out on or before this date.
Alternatively, the landlord may issue you with a Section 8 notice using the new Ground 4a. (**) In this situation they must have issued you with the written notice during the month of May, followed by the 4-month notice. (This has been permitted for this year only, due to the timing the legislation comes into force).
* University Halls
These changes do not apply to university-managed accommodation. This is because they are exempt from the legislation and generally use licences or common law tenancy agreements.
* Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA)
Privately-owned PBSAs who are members of the ANUK National Code will be exempt from the new tenancy rules and will generally use common law tenancy agreements. They will still be able to offer fixed-term tenancies, request rental payments in advance, charge termly, and may have a requirement that you find a replacement tenant before you can be released from your contract.
Unipol (student housing specialists) have produced a more comprehensive guide “Renters’ Rights Act 2025 – Guide For Students” which can be found here.