Student housing

Student housing is accommodation let primarily to full-time students, usually on a shared basis, and clustered around universities or colleges. It ranges from purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and university halls to private rented houses and HMOs let to groups of students on a joint tenancy.

Before the Renters’ Rights Act, most private student lets used fixed-term ASTs aligned to the academic year, with all tenants jointly and severally liable. Under the new regime, from 1 May 2026 most such tenancies convert to assured periodic tenancies, with students able to leave on notice and rent in advance heavily restricted, which disrupts the traditional model of locking in a year’s income.

There are important exemptions. PBSA and some other student schemes can keep using fixed terms outside the assured regime, provided they join an approved code of practice. In the mainstream PRS, a strengthened Ground 4A allows recovery of possession where a property, usually an HMO, is genuinely run as student housing, but only if strict notice and procedural requirements are met.

For landlords, student housing now means tighter regulation, more complex possession routes and a sharper need for good paperwork, realistic planning for void periods and professional management of joint tenancies.