Students renting privately in England can now leave with two months' notice

This is the first autumn term in which most students renting from private landlords in England are not tied to a contract for the full academic year. Since the Renters' Rights Act took effect in May, fixed terms have been replaced by rolling tenancies, and tenants can generally leave by giving two months' notice.

Students and their union say the change has already helped people who switch course, drop out or simply want to go home for the summer. Landlords who specialise in student lets warn that the extra uncertainty could push up rents, according to reporting by the BBC.

What has changed for student tenants

Most students in a privately rented house or flat, including shared houses in multiple occupation, now have an assured periodic tenancy. It has no end date and runs until someone gives notice. Council guidance sets out the main rules:

• A tenant can give notice at any time. The maximum notice period is two months, and it can be shorter if the landlord agrees in writing.
• In a joint tenancy, one person's notice normally ends the tenancy for the whole household. A swap, where a new person takes over the room, needs the agreement of the landlord and the other tenants.
• Landlords and agents cannot accept offers above the advertised rent, although they can still ask for a guarantor.
• Rent rises must follow the Section 13 process with at least two months' notice, and a tenant who thinks an increase is above the market rate can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal.
• Section 21 "no fault" evictions have ended, so a landlord needs a legal reason to take a property back.

Not every student is covered. University halls and private purpose-built blocks run under an approved code of practice can still offer fixed contracts for the academic year. Students who lodge in their landlord's own home are also outside the new system.

The landlord's student ground

To keep the yearly cycle of student lets working, the Act created a specific possession ground, known as Ground 4A. It applies only to houses in multiple occupation let to students. A landlord can use it between 1 June and 30 September to clear the property for a new group, but only if tenants were told in writing before their tenancy began that the landlord might do so.

The National Residential Landlords Association told the BBC that the bigger worry for landlords is students leaving early, which could leave houses empty through the summer. Some landlords say they may raise monthly rents to cover that risk, and one landlord has moved their tenancy start dates from September to August.

The National Union of Students said the flexibility also lets students save money by not paying for rooms over the summer once their courses finish.

Students unsure what kind of agreement they have can check with their students' union advice service or Shelter, as the rights of lodgers and licence holders differ from those of tenants.