Students have said do not believe that they have benefited as much as other renters under the Renters\u2019 Rights Act (RRA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 1 2026, the Renters\u2019 Rights Act (RRA) was enacted, and its protections for students depend on their housing situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest change to renters\u2019 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 \u2018no-fault\u2019 evictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019 notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toby Macpherson, 19, a student living in university-owned accommodation, said: \u201cAlthough the changes seem to broadly help students, I\u2019m concerned that the changes around fixed-term tenancies may complicate securing housing early for the next academic year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019 notice to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sarah Landers, 19, another student living in university-owned halls, said: \u201cThis is a huge step forward in protecting renters, however, it doesn\u2019t feel like it has done much for first-year students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Landlords will also no longer be able to accept \u2018bidding wars\u2019 in order to prevent extreme rent inflation created by the tenants themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Renters\u2019 Rights Act will also prohibit discriminatory practices such as \u2018no kids\u2019 or \u2018no DSS\u2019 policies. Landlords must consider requests fairly in order to support families and vulnerable people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n