Until 1 May 2026, student letting worked because the tenancy itself was built to fit the academic year, a fixed 10 to 12 month Assured Shorthold Tenancy, signed months in advance, running slightly longer than the academic year specifically to avoid a costly summer void. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished that entire structure. This guide covers Ground 4A, the mechanism landlords now use instead, the guarantor deeds that need updating, and the room-by-room versus joint tenancy decision many landlords are reconsidering.
Figures and rules below reflect the Renters' Rights Act 2025's implementation from 1 May 2026 and published landlord guidance, current to mid-2026. This is general education, not legal advice specific to your tenancy; see our Landlord Regulation Timeline for the wider Renters' Rights Act rollout.
1. What changed on 1 May 2026
Fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies were abolished in England from 1 May 2026 for all residential lettings, with no specific exemption carved out for student properties despite lobbying from the sector. Every new tenancy is now an assured periodic tenancy from day one, continuing indefinitely unless the tenant gives notice or the landlord successfully uses a specific possession ground. This removed the mechanism landlords had relied on for decades: a tenancy that simply expired at a known date each summer, letting a new group of students move in on a predictable, synchronised cycle.
2. Ground 4A, in detail
In recognition of the disruption this caused to student letting specifically, the Renters' Rights Act introduced Ground 4A, a possession ground designed to let student HMO landlords recover their property in time for a new academic year.
- The property must be a licensed HMO, let exclusively to full-time students; Ground 4A doesn't apply to a single student tenant or a mixed student/non-student household.
- The landlord must give the tenant prior written notice of their intention to rely on Ground 4A, and the tenancy generally must not have been entered into more than six months before its start date for this notice to be valid.
- Formal notice requires four months, specifying a move-out date that falls between June and September, aligned with the normal end of an academic year.
Since a valid HMO licence covering the property's current configuration is a precondition for using Ground 4A at all, checking that your licence is current and accurately reflects the property, room count, and occupancy is now a genuinely more important compliance step than it was previously, not just a general legal obligation but a specific precondition for regaining possession each year.
3. How student landlords are adapting
Reported strategies among student landlords include shifting the tenancy start date earlier, to June or July rather than the traditional August or September, specifically to avoid a summer void once a fixed term can no longer simply run through it, and ensuring Ground 4A notices are served correctly and on time for every property in a portfolio, since a single missed or incorrectly-served notice can jeopardise the ability to relet for the following academic year on schedule.
4. Guarantor deeds need updating
Around 95% of student tenancies involve a parental or guardian guarantor, given limited credit history and income among most full-time students. A guarantor agreement should be a separate deed, properly signed and witnessed, and critically, older guarantor deeds drafted for a fixed-term tenancy with a defined expiry date may not properly extend to cover a periodic tenancy that continues indefinitely under the new regime. Existing guarantor agreements should be reviewed and, where necessary, updated to explicitly cover the initial term plus any ongoing statutory periodic continuation, rather than assuming an old deed automatically stretches to cover the new tenancy structure.
5. Joint tenancy versus room-by-room letting
Some landlords are moving toward room-by-room letting specifically to remove the risk that a single departing tenant destabilises the whole household's tenancy under the new periodic structure, a genuine, if imperfect, trade-off against losing joint liability. Take advice on which structure suits your specific property and portfolio before switching an established joint-tenancy arrangement.
6. Council tax, deposits, and the rest
The full-time student council tax exemption remains available and unaffected by these changes. Deposit rules are unchanged: a maximum of five weeks' rent (six weeks if annual rent exceeds £50,000, rare for a typical student letting), protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information provided to all tenants regardless of whether the tenancy is joint or room-by-room.
7. Frequently asked questions
Can I still grant a fixed-term tenancy to students for the academic year?
No. From 1 May 2026, fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies were abolished in England. Every new tenancy, including student lettings, is an assured periodic tenancy from day one, which does not end automatically at the close of the academic year.
What is Ground 4A?
Ground 4A is a possession ground created specifically for student HMO landlords, allowing them to recover possession before the start of a new academic year. It's only available where the property is a licensed HMO let exclusively to full-time students, the landlord has given prior written notice of intent to use it, and four months' notice is served specifying a move-out date between June and September.
Do guarantor agreements need to be updated for the new tenancy regime?
Yes. Older guarantor deeds tied to a fixed-term tenancy's expiry date may not properly cover a periodic tenancy that continues indefinitely. Guarantor agreements should be updated to explicitly cover the initial term plus any ongoing statutory periodic continuation.
Should I let a student HMO as one joint tenancy or individual room-by-room agreements?
Each has genuine trade-offs. A joint tenancy gives joint and several liability, meaning any one tenant can be pursued for the full rent, but one tenant's notice can end the tenancy for the whole group. Room-by-room agreements avoid that risk and give each tenant independent notice rights, but remove joint liability and can trigger HMO licensing thresholds more easily.
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