For decades the student rental year followed a familiar pattern. A group of friends signed a joint fixed-term contract for ten or twelve months, often long before moving in, and sometimes paid rent upfront. On 1 May 2026 that changed. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolished assured shorthold tenancies, and most private student tenancies in England are now rolling periodic agreements with no fixed end date.
The biggest change is how you leave. Students can generally end a tenancy by giving at least two months’ notice, ending on a rent payment date. In a shared house on a joint tenancy, one person’s notice usually ends the tenancy for everyone, so agree plans with housemates before anyone acts. Rent is still payable throughout the notice period.
Landlords’ powers have shifted too. Section 21 “no fault” eviction has gone, so landlords must give a legal reason to end a tenancy. One student-specific ground, Ground 4A, lets landlords recover houses of multiple occupation let to full-time students so they can relet to the next cohort. Where landlords wanted to rely on it for existing tenancies, they had to give written notice by 31 May 2026.
Money rules are tighter as well. Landlords and agents cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before you have signed. For most new tenancies they can request no more than one month’s rent in advance. They also cannot encourage offers above the advertised rent, and you can challenge excessive rent increases.
Not every student is covered in the same way. University halls are unaffected, and many new contracts in purpose-built student accommodation are likely to be exempt if the provider meets the criteria, such as membership of an approved code of practice. Students already in such accommodation on a fixed-term contract before 1 May were converted to a rolling agreement.
Check which category your contract falls into, ask your landlord for the government information sheet, and contact your students’ union housing advice service if something looks wrong.
