Students have said do not believe that they have benefited as much as other renters under the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA).
On May 1 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) was enacted, and its protections for students depend on their housing situation.
The biggest change to renters’ rights is the dismissal of Section 21, so landlords must have a valid legal reason to evict you, whereas they did not before. This ends ‘no-fault’ evictions.
Tenancies will also no longer have a fixed end date, and renters will be able to leave at any time by handing in two months’ notice.
University-owned halls of residence and purpose-built student accommodation registered with the National Code are exempt from these protections, and they remain able to evict tenants at the end of their contract.
Toby Macpherson, 19, a student living in university-owned accommodation, said: “Although the changes seem to broadly help students, I’m concerned that the changes around fixed-term tenancies may complicate securing housing early for the next academic year.”
Those renting from a private landlord or letting agent are, for the most part, shielded by the RRA. However, landlords may use Ground 4a to evict students.
Ground 4a allows landlords to evict students at the end of the academic year as long as they make renters aware of their intention to use it. It also allows landlords to give their tenants four months’ notice to leave.
Sarah Landers, 19, another student living in university-owned halls, said: “This is a huge step forward in protecting renters, however, it doesn’t feel like it has done much for first-year students.”
Another major aspect of this reform is the change to rent increases. Rent will only be able to rise once per year, with tenants being able to challenge any unreasonable rent escalations.
Landlords will also no longer be able to accept ‘bidding wars’ in order to prevent extreme rent inflation created by the tenants themselves.
The Renters’ Rights Act will also prohibit discriminatory practices such as ‘no kids’ or ‘no DSS’ policies. Landlords must consider requests fairly in order to support families and vulnerable people.
For more information on how you could be affected, read the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.
