The commencement of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (“RRA”) is looming with the majority of the Act coming into force from 1 May 2026.

(Click here to see our post about these changes and the impact upon Landlords and professionals working in the sector.)

Student accommodation has always had a two-tier system with lettings of university-owned student accommodation outside of the Housing Act regime. The government’s intention is that purpose-built accommodation will be largely exempt from the RRA and will also be treated as common law tenancies.  These provide only basic protection as occupiers are treated as licensees (link to GG’s recent article).  Therefore, their occupation can be terminated by way of a Notice to Quit without having to rely on grounds.

However, any accommodation that is provided to students which does not fall into the above category will be governed by the RRA. This means:

1. Tenants will be able to terminate on two months’ written notice.

The result is that all tenancies will be periodic with no fixed end date and tenant’s retain control over when to vacate.  Perhaps an unintended outcome of this is that joint tenancies will be terminated when one tenant serves notice.  So, unless a replacement tenant is found and a new agreement entered in to, the whole letting will come to an end.  This will get messy in practice and leaves landlords at risk of empty properties or the extra burden of repeated tenancies (known as churn) i.e. re-registering deposits.

We therefore may see individual tenants for a particular room coming into practice over the coming months instead.

2. Possession grounds

Ground 4A only applies to HMOs rather than studio flats or one/two bedroom student lets for example, and will enable landlords to terminate their student tenancies provided that:

• The landlord has given a written statement before the tenancy is entered into of its wish to be able to recover possession on the basis that the tenant meets the student test -a full time student which will be required by 31^st May;
• The period beginning with the date the tenancy was entered into and ending with the day on which the tenant was entitled to possession, is six months or less (i.e. limits agreements in advance);
• The date specified in the Section 8 notice seeking possession falls within 1 June – 30 September in any year to ensure that landlords can obtain possession to re-let to students for the new academic year but not terminate early and interfere with studies.
• Four months’ notice has to be provided to a tenant.

In practice, most students secure their accommodation for the next academic year at the beginning of the preceding year. However, we may see landlords unwilling to secure accommodation for students that early in advance given limitations of using Ground 4A.

If you are a landlord of student accommodation, you will need to act quickly and ensure that the relevant notice is served by 31 May (one month after the RRA comes into force) and if you are considering possession for the new academic year, 4 months’ notice will need to be provided so time is of the essence.

Contact our Property Litigation Team today for tailored legal advice on Tenancies, and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

Upcoming Event: The Renters’ Rights Act 2025: What the Changes Mean for Landlords and Letting Agents

Join our Property Litigation specialists for a clear and practical overview of what the reforms mean in practice. The session will explain the new requirements, outline the phased implementation timetable and highlight the potential risks for non-compliance. There will also be guidance on steps that landlords and agents should be taking now in order to prepare.

• Date: 16th of April 2026
• Hosted by: Rachel Gimson, Rebecca Stubbs, Georgina Galton
• Time: 12:00pm to 1:00pm
• Location: Online Webinar

Register here