Student housing
Student housing is residential accommodation let primarily to full-time students, usually shared and concentrated near universities and colleges. In the private rented sector it is dominated by student houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), let to groups of three to six students on a joint tenancy. Since 1 May 2026 these lets have been assured periodic tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and landlords recover possession for the new academic year using the student possession ground, Ground 4A.
Student HMOs and Ground 4A
The Act abolished the fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy that student landlords had long used to align lets to the academic year. Most private student tenancies are now periodic, with no automatic end date. To manage academic-year turnover, the Act introduced Ground 4A, a mandatory possession ground for student HMOs. It allows you to recover the property for reletting to new students with the notice period expiring between 1 June and 30 September each year, and it requires a warning notice served on the tenants before the tenancy begins. In our experience supporting landlords through the Renters' Rights Act transition, the warning-notice step is the one most easily missed, and without it the ground is unavailable. Ground 4A does not apply to a house or flat let to one or two students; those lets fall under the full periodic-tenancy regime with no student-specific ground.
Where PBSA fits
A small part of the student market is purpose-built student accommodation, institutional blocks run by professional operators. Where the operator belongs to a government-approved code, that accommodation is exempt from the assured tenancy regime and can keep fixed-term tenancies, which is a different position from the private student HMO described here. For the asset class, the exemption and the qualifying conditions, see purpose-built student accommodation. Almost all self-managing landlords letting to students operate a student HMO rather than PBSA.
The student letting cycle and void risk
Student housing carries a structural void risk between academic years, typically July to September. The fixed-term AST used to let landlords synchronise the cycle with certainty; the periodic model reduces that, and the cap restricting rent in advance to one month once a tenancy has started removes the semester-in-advance cash flow that landlords previously relied on. Landlords using August to manage student HMOs tell us that tracking each joint tenant's rent and aligning notice dates to the Ground 4A window is where the periodic regime creates the most administrative load. For a full practical guide to marketing, letting and managing a student rental, including how to structure the Ground 4A documentation, see our guide to becoming a successful student accommodation landlord.
Frequently asked questions
Are student tenancies still fixed-term?
Not in the private rented sector. Since 1 May 2026 student HMO tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. Only qualifying purpose-built student accommodation can still grant fixed terms.
How do I get my student HMO back at the end of the year?
You use Ground 4A, serving notice so that it expires between 1 June and 30 September, provided you gave the tenants a warning notice before the tenancy started.
