Renters Rights Bill

Renters' Rights Bill

IMPORTANT: These changes are not in force yet. We do not know exactly when they will come into force and some of the details might change.

What students need to know about the Renters’ Rights Bill

The Government wants to introduce The Renters’ Rights Bill, which is a set of changes to how tenancies will work. It is still being discussed in the Houses of Parliament but is expected to become law soon. If it does, the new changes will probably take effect at some point during the 2025/2026 academic year.

The changes will affect most tenants in England, but the rules relating to student tenancies are complicated. Not every tenancy will be affected and different tenants will be affected in different ways.

End of section 21 notices

Most tenants who rent from a private landlord have an ‘assured shorthold tenancy’ or ‘AST’ as their contract. This type of tenancy usually runs for a fixed term of six or twelve months.

After that, it becomes a ‘rolling’ or ‘periodic’ tenancy. A periodic tenancy runs from month to month, or week to week, without any fixed term. Sometimes there is a 'break clause' in the contract allowing the landlord or the tenant to end the fixed term early.

In an 'assured shorthold tenancy', a landlord can evict the tenants without giving any reason, as long as the fixed term has ended. They start that process by serving a ‘section 21 notice’ which tells the tenants that the landlord requires the property back after two months.

After the Renter's Rights Bill comes in, Section 21 notices and 'assured shorthold tenancies' will be abolished. Instead, most tenants will have:

1. A fully assured tenancy. This means that the landlord has to give a reason to evict the tenant.
2. All tenancies will be rolling contracts. This means tenants can decide when they want to end the contract. (If you're on a joint contract, you will still need to agree with your housemates about when you all want to end the tenancy).

New type of notice for landlords to serve on students

The Renters Rights Bill will take away landlord's ability to give notice to tenants without a reason. However the Government has agreed an exception to this for students. Landlords will be able to give a notice to require students to leave the property at the end of the academic year. This will be known as a Ground 4A notice

This will only apply in some circumstances. It will only be available to a landlord who intends to rent the property to a new set of students in the next academic year. The notice will have to be given four months in advance, and specify a date in June-September when the landlord wants the students to move out. It is expected that this will only apply to students living in an HMO (house in multiple occupation), but this is currently being debated in Parliament.

Students living in halls or other university accommodation

Students who live in university halls will not be affected by the changes to notices, or the new rolling contracts. That is because students living in halls have licence agreements. The new rules will only affect tenants with 'assured shorthold tenancies'.

Students that have a tenancy granted by a university also will not have an AST. For example, students who live in houses or flats owned or operated by a university. This is because the law allows universities to issue a different type of tenancy, called an educational tenancy. These won't be affected by the new laws.

Purpose Built Student Accommodation run by private companies

The Government has said it will change the law for private halls or 'PBSAs'. These are university halls run by private companies, not universities.

Accommodation offered to students in private student halls will be exempt from the new tenancy rules. For example, they will be able to give fixed term contracts and students will be allowed to be asked to leave at the end, without giving any reason.

However, they only be allowed to do this if the companies managing these sites agree to join an approved code of practice. The code of practice will be really important. It will give students right to terminate their contracts in certain circumstances, and it will also give the right to make complaints.

Students living in social housing

The legal changes will only have a minimal impact on social tenancies, and the Government has said that the reforms will

take effect in the private sector before they apply to social housing.

Students who have licence agreements

The key reforms only apply to tenancies, not licenses. A tenancy is where you have your own space that the landlord cannot enter without prior notice. With a tenancy, you have what is known as 'exclusive possession' of a space.

A licence is non-exclusive permission. For example, if you live with your landlord, or your landlord provides cleaning services or meals to your room. After the Renters Rights Bill comes in, It will still be possible for landlords to grant licences rather than tenancies.

Students should be wary of some landlords trying to avoid the new changes by granting ‘sham licences’. This is when a landlord calls something a license when it should be a tenancy.

It is very uncommon for a contract to be a genuine license, unless:

• you live with your landlord
• you live in halls run by your university

We recommend booking a contract check if you are asked to sign a licence agreement so that we can give specific advice to you.

Other changes


The Renters’ Rights Bill is making several other changes to the law governing residential tenancies. Most of these changes will only affect students who rent from a private landlord and who have an ‘assured tenancy’. We do not yet know when these changes will take effect.

These are the headlines:

• Rent in advance: Landlords will be banned from demanding large payments of rent up front at the start of a tenancy. We expect this may impact international students who rely on paying rent in advance, or landlords often refuse to rent to them. Students in this position may need to sign up for a guarantor scheme.
•  Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman: Landlords will have to join a complaints scheme.
• Private Rented Sector Database. Details about properties (including safety certificates) and landlords will be put on a public database. You will be able to check out any landlord you are considering renting from, in advance.
• Prohibiting rental discrimination. There will be tougher laws to prevent discrimination when landlords are choosing a tenant.
• Rental bidding. Landlords and letting agents will no longer be allowed to invite higher ‘bids’ to rent a property.
• Renting with pets. Landlords will need to give a good reason if they say no to pets.
• Decent Homes Standard. There will be a new minimum standard for safety and comfort in rented properties. Landlords will face fines if they breach this.
• Awaab’s Law. This is named after a boy died from illness caused by damp and mould in his home. Landlords will be required to start repairs according a specified timetable.
• Enforcement and investigatory powers. Councils will get stronger legal powers to take on criminal landlords.
• Rent repayment orders. Tenants will have increased rights to reclaim rent from their landlords who commit criminal offences. For example, not applying for an HMO licence, or harassing tenants.