Renting off campus

Students in Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) or private halls off campus

PBSA accommodation is not affected by most aspects of the Renters’ Rights Act, even after 1 May 2026. Contracts will continue to be fixed term with no option to terminate early. PBSA accommodation will need to belong to a UNIPOL or ANUK student housing codes to be exempt from the Renters rights Act.

If you have already signed a contract and have been issued with a section 21 notice before 1 May 2026, you will be required to move out at the end of the term. If you have not received any notice, the tenancy will become a rolling periodic tenancy, and you will need to give at least 2 months’ notice.

Students in private rented houses (unless rented from Sulets)

From 1 May 2026, fixed-term tenancies will be replaced with rolling tenancies.  This means your contract will not have a fixed end date and will continue month-to-month or week-to-week until ended by you or your landlord in line with legal notice periods.

This applies to:

• students signing new contracts after 1 May 2026, and
• students who have already signed contracts but the contract has not yet started, and
• students already living in privately rented accommodation on that date.

Landlords will not need to issue new contracts, but existing tenancies will automatically convert to periodic tenancies.

Students renting from Sulets

Sulets uses a specific type of student tenancy that is exempt from the Housing Act and you need to understand how that works before you sign.

Because of this exemption, Sulets will continue issuing fixed‑term student contracts and you will be committed to the full term, irrespective of whether you are renting purpose built student accommodation or a private rented house.

So if you rent from Sulets, the Renters’ Rights Act changes do not apply to your tenancy.

In a Sulets agreement, there is no automatic right to leave early — even if:

• you leave university
• your circumstances change
• you have financial, well‑being or safety issues
• housemates fall out
• the household becomes unmanageable

For students renting houses off campus (unless they are rented from Sulets or PBSAs) the main changes include:

• No more fixed-term tenancies even if the contract states it is a fixed term agreement – new and existing tenancies will become rolling with no set end date.
• Tenants must give at least two months’ notice to leave, and this can be done at any point.
• In joint student households, if one person gives notice, this will usually bring the tenancy to an end for everyone.
• There will be a new ground for possession relating specifically to students allowing landlords to end a tenancy at the end of the academic year. In practice this will make little difference as most students will wish to move on at the end of the academic year anyway. 
• Landlords/ letting agents will not be able to ask for more than 1 month’s rent in advance.
• Landlords/ letting agents must advertise a set asking rent and cannot accept higher offers.

The new rules may apply differently depending on the type of property you live in (for example: PBSA, shared houses, or 1–2 bed flats). If you are not sure which rules apply to your tenancy, please contact us and we can check your contract and explain your rights.

Summary of changes for contracts signed from 1 May 2026

From 1 May, your contract will no longer end automatically on the date written in your contract. Instead, the contract will continue month‑to‑month, which means you must actively end it.

To end your tenancy, you must give your landlord/ letting agent at least two months’ written notice (unless you rent from Sulets or PBSAs). If you don’t give notice, your tenancy continues and you may still be charged rent. Your landlord can agree a shorter notice period or a specific date that the tenancy and the liability to pay your rent ends

Your notice must also end on the last day of a rent period (for example, the day before your rent is normally due). This is important for making sure you don’t unintentionally owe extra rent.

For example - if you normally pay rent on the 1^st of the month and your contract has a stated end date of 30 June you would need to give notice on or before 30 April to inform the landlord that you intend to leave on 30 June.

Your landlord can only end your contract by going to court. They will need a reason to evict you.

From 1 May 2026, landlords/ letting agents will require rent to be paid monthly, and landlords cannot ask for more than one month’s rent at any time. You can still choose to pay in larger amounts if you wish, but this must be voluntary.

Councils will be able to fine landlords who ask for or accept more.

Large amounts of rent in advance can also not be asked as an alternative to having a guarantor.

This means many students will need either:

• a UK-based guarantor, or
• a recognised guarantor service accepted by their landlord or letting agent.

Students are advised to check our guarantor webpage before committing to a property.

If you signed your contract before 1 May 2026, the payment dates in your contract (for example termly or quarterly payments) will continue for the remainder of your contract. The new rules do not apply.

If you signed a contract before 1 May 2026, some of the new rules may still apply to your tenancy. However, accommodation contracts for exempt Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and private houses rented through Sulets are not affected in the same way.

From 1 May 2026, your fixed-term contract will convert into a rolling tenancy, and the new rules around notice periods will apply. Your landlord should provide you with information explaining these changes.