Short answer

Since 1 May 2026, most student lets in England are rolling assured periodic tenancies with no fixed end date. Landlords of student HMOs can use new mandatory Ground 4A to regain possession for the next academic year, while qualifying purpose-built student accommodation can still use fixed-term contracts outside the new regime.

What has the Renters' Rights Act changed for student lettings?

As of 1 May 2026, all fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies have been abolished and automatically converted to periodic tenancies. A periodic tenancy has no end date, so it simply rolls on until the tenant gives notice or the landlord successfully proves a statutory ground for possession in court. Student landlords have therefore lost the certainty of a fixed-term expiry date.

Historically, the student market has relied on the academic calendar. Landlords, both private individuals and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) providers, needed certainty that they could recover a property at the end of the college year to re-let it to the next cohort. This was achieved using fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs).

Without a fixed-term expiry date, landlords face a critical problem: how to recover possession at the end of the academic year for the next student cohort. Losing this certainty puts the sector's entire re-letting model and financial viability under immense pressure. The Renters' Rights Act has reshaped the student letting market more than almost any other corner of the private rented sector.

What is Ground 4A and when can a landlord use it?

Ground 4A is a new mandatory possession ground introduced to prevent the student housing market from collapsing. It lets landlords of student houses in multiple occupation repossess properties at the end of the academic year, but it is procedurally strict: the landlord must satisfy all five statutory conditions, and if they do, the court must grant the possession order.

To use Ground 4A, a landlord must satisfy all five of these conditions:

• HMO status: the property must qualify as an HMO (let to at least three unrelated tenants).
• The student test: the tenants must be full-time students (or expected to be) when the tenancy begins.
• Prior written notice: before the tenancy starts, the landlord must give the tenants written notice that they intend to rely on Ground 4A to recover the property.
• The six-month rule: the tenancy must not have been agreed more than six months before the tenancy started, so a let signed very early for the following academic year cannot use Ground 4A.
• The strict notice window: the landlord must serve at least four months' notice, and that notice must expire between 1 June and 30 September.

Because Ground 4A is a mandatory ground, the court has no discretion to refuse a possession order once the landlord proves all five criteria have been met.

Is purpose-built student accommodation exempt?

Yes, qualifying PBSA providers have a broader exemption: they are permitted to keep using fixed-term common law tenancies. The government's rationale is that PBSAs are already heavily regulated by independent, government-approved management codes, which provide students with sufficient protection, so the new periodic tenancy regime does not need to apply to them in the same way.

This exemption applies only if the building is occupied principally by students and is managed or controlled by an educational establishment or provider that is a member of an approved code. The two recognised codes are:

• The ANUK/Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Developments.
• The Universities UK/GuildHE Accommodation Code of Practice.

What should you do next?

1. Landlords: work out whether your property is an HMO let to full-time students, purpose-built accommodation covered by an approved code, or an ordinary let.
2. If you intend to use Ground 4A, give tenants written notice before the tenancy starts, and do not agree the tenancy more than six months before it begins.
3. Plan your timetable: serve at least four months' notice so possession is sought for a new student group between 1 June and 30 September.
4. Students: remember you can end a periodic tenancy with two months' notice, but check your agreement and coordinate with housemates on a joint tenancy.
5. Ask Libra about your own situation, and if you need a professional, find a lawyer or clinic through Libra.

Frequently asked questions

Can students leave a private let before the end of the academic year?

Yes. On an assured periodic tenancy a tenant can end the tenancy by giving two months' notice. On a joint tenancy, one tenant's notice usually ends the tenancy for everyone, so housemates should agree a plan before anyone gives notice.

Does Ground 4A apply to a one or two bedroom student flat?

Government guidance says Ground 4A is for houses in multiple occupation with at least three tenants forming more than one household who share facilities. Smaller student lets that are not HMOs cannot rely on it and would need another ground for possession.

What if the landlord did not give Ground 4A notice before the tenancy started?

Prior written notice that the landlord may rely on Ground 4A is a condition of the ground. Without it, the landlord cannot use Ground 4A and would need to prove a different ground, such as serious rent arrears or selling after the first 12 months.

Are university halls covered by the Renters' Rights Act?

Halls let by universities and colleges, and purpose-built student accommodation managed by providers signed up to an approved code, are outside the assured tenancy regime and can continue to use fixed-term contracts. Check your contract to see which applies to you.

Ask Libra

• Can my student landlord make us leave in June?
• What conditions must a landlord meet to use Ground 4A?
• I signed for next year in January. Can the landlord use Ground 4A?
• How do I end my student tenancy early?
• Is my purpose-built student flat covered by the Renters' Rights Act?
• One housemate wants to leave. What happens to our joint tenancy?

Sources

• Renters' Rights Act 2025 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Renters' Rights Act 2025, Schedule 1: grounds for possession (legislation.gov.uk)
• Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents (GOV.UK)
• Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (GOV.UK)

This explainer is general information about the law in England as at September 2026, not legal advice. For advice on your situation, ask Libra or find a lawyer through Libra.