The twelve-month student fixed term is gone. Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, and on that date every assured shorthold tenancy in England — including every student let — converted into an assured periodic tenancy with no end date. Section 21 was abolished at the same time. It is now a breach of the Act even to purport to grant a fixed term.
For most landlords that is an inconvenience. For student landlords it removes the single assumption the whole business model rested on: that the house empties in June or July and the next group moves in for September, because the contract says so. It no longer says so. Possession over the summer now depends on a specific ground, served correctly, months in advance.
This guide sets out what actually replaced fixed terms, how Ground 4A works in practice, the timing you have to plan around for the 2027 summer turnover, and the joint tenancy trap that catches the most people.
Key takeaways
- Since 1 May 2026 all student tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. Fixed terms cannot be granted.
- Tenants can leave on two months’ notice at any point, including mid-academic year.
- Ground 4A is the only route to guaranteed summer possession, it applies only to HMOs let to full-time students, and it needs four months’ notice expiring between 1 June and 30 September.
- The Ground 4A written statement must be given before the tenancy is signed — not with it, not after it.
- A tenancy cannot be signed more than six months before occupation begins, which ends the autumn sign-up for the following September.
- In a joint tenancy, one tenant’s notice ends the tenancy for the whole group.
- You cannot take any rent in advance before the agreement is entered into, and no more than one month’s rent between signing and move-in.
The student letting year, post-Renters’ Rights Act
Market the house. Signing is only lawful within 6 months of move-in
Serve the Ground 4A written statement before the agreement is signed
Tenancy begins as an assured periodic tenancy. No end date
Serve the Ground 4A notice — four months ahead of the date you want
30 Sep
The only window in which a Ground 4A notice may expire
What actually changed on 1 May 2026
Phase 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 did not phase itself in gently. On a single day:
- Assured shorthold tenancies were abolished. Existing and new tenancies are assured periodic tenancies, running month to month with no fixed end.
- Section 21 was abolished. Every possession claim now needs a ground under Section 8 and the evidence to support it.
- Tenants gained a two-month notice right they can exercise at any time.
- Rent increases were standardised onto section 13 of the Housing Act 1988: once a year, two months’ notice, capped at open market rent, challengeable at the First-tier Tribunal.
- Rental bidding was banned and rent in advance was tightly restricted.
- Blanket bans on benefits claimants and families with children became unlawful, and tenants gained a right to request a pet that cannot be unreasonably refused.
- Councils received stronger investigatory and civil penalty powers, which came into force on 27 December 2025 ahead of the main reforms.
Note what did not change: the deposit cap, gas and electrical safety duties, HMO licensing, and the Tenant Fees Act 2019 all continue to apply exactly as before. If your HMO licence was compliant on 30 April 2026, it still is.
Why fixed terms disappeared, and what replaced them
The policy logic was that fixed terms locked tenants into unsuitable or unsafe housing. The consequence for student lets is that the contract no longer guarantees anything about when the house empties.
| Before 1 May 2026 | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy type | Assured shorthold, usually a 12-month fixed term | Assured periodic tenancy, monthly, no end date |
| End of the academic year | Term simply expired | Nothing happens automatically — the tenancy runs on |
| Tenant leaving early | Bound for the term unless you agreed a surrender | Two months’ notice, at any time |
| Landlord regaining possession | Section 21, two months, no reason needed | Section 8 ground, evidence required, four months for Ground 4A |
| When you can sign | Whenever the group agreed — often the previous autumn | No more than six months before occupation |
| Rent up front | Commonly a term’s or a year’s rent | Nothing before the agreement; maximum one month after signing |
The practical effect is that student letting has stopped being a contract business and become a notice business. Everything now depends on serving the right document at the right time.
The joint tenancy trap
This is the change that catches most student landlords, and it is not obvious from the headlines. In a joint assured periodic tenancy, a notice to quit given by one joint tenant ends the tenancy for all of them. One student drops out in February, serves two months’ notice, and in April the whole house has no tenancy — including the four who wanted to stay.
You have three realistic ways to manage that risk:
- Move to individual room-by-room tenancies. One tenant leaving then affects only that room. The trade-off is that you carry the void and the bills risk yourself, and it changes how you handle communal areas. It also affects room allocation — our free room allocator for student HMOs is useful when a group is arguing over who gets which room.
- Keep the joint tenancy but plan the reset. Agree in advance, in writing, what happens if someone gives notice: the remaining tenants find a replacement, and you grant a fresh joint tenancy to the new group on the same terms. This is a new tenancy, so the Ground 4A statement and the six-month rule apply again.
- Get the guarantor position right at the outset. Guarantor deeds written for a fixed term may not carry over into a periodic tenancy or a replacement tenancy. Have them reviewed. Our guide to guarantor problems and what to do when a guarantor fails covers the common drafting failures.
Whichever route you take, brief the group before they sign. A house that understands that one person’s notice ends everyone’s tenancy tends to police itself.
Ground 4A: the summer possession route, in detail
Ground 4A is the concession student landlords lobbied for. It is a mandatory ground, so if you satisfy every condition the court must order possession. The catch is that it is narrow, and every condition is a potential point of failure.
| Condition | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| The property is an HMO | At least three people from two or more households sharing as their main home. One- and two-bed student flats do not qualify — a large slice of the student market is simply outside this ground. |
| All tenants are full-time students | Each tenant must be on, or reasonably expected to enrol on, an approved full-time higher education course. Take proof at sign-up and keep copies. |
| Prior written statement | You must tell the tenants in writing, before the tenancy is entered into, that you may seek possession on Ground 4A. Handing it over with the signed agreement is too late. |
| Six-month signing limit | The tenancy must not be entered into more than six months before occupation begins. |
| Intention to re-let to students | You must genuinely intend to re-let to another qualifying student group. Misusing the ground exposes you to a civil penalty of up to £40,000. |
| Four months’ notice | Standard notice period for Ground 4A. |
| Expiry window | The notice must expire between 1 June and 30 September. There is no other window in the year. |
The timing, worked through
Four months’ notice expiring inside a 1 June to 30 September window means the service window runs from roughly the start of February to the end of May. Serve on 1 February and you can name a date at the start of June. Serve on 30 May and the earliest date you can name is the end of September.
So for the summer 2027 turnover, the decision is made in February to May 2027. Miss that window and the tenancy simply continues into the next academic year, whatever your re-letting plans were.
Ground 4A, in the order it has to happen
Three or more sharers from two or more households. If it is a one- or two-bed, Ground 4A is not available to you at all.
Enrolment confirmation or an offer letter for every tenant, dated and stored with the tenancy file.
Send it as a separate, dated document and keep proof of when it was sent. Not attached to the agreement.
A March signing for a September start is fine. An October signing for the following September is not.
Four months’ notice, expiring between 1 June and 30 September. Set the reminder the day the tenancy starts.
The transitional two-month window has closed
For the first summer only, landlords with tenancies that pre-dated 1 May 2026 could use a shortened two-month Ground 4A notice, provided it was served between 1 May and 31 July 2026. That concession has now expired. Every Ground 4A notice served from August 2026 onwards requires the full four months, whenever the tenancy began.
There was also a one-off deadline of 31 May 2026 for serving the prior written statement on tenancies that already existed when the Act commenced. If you did not serve it, Ground 4A is not available on that tenancy — the practical fix is to grant a new tenancy to the next group with the statement served properly beforehand.
The six-month rule and the end of the autumn sign-up
Student housing used to run on an absurdly early cycle: groups viewing in October and signing in November for a September start ten months later. That is now unlawful for any tenancy relying on Ground 4A, because the agreement cannot be entered into more than six months before occupation.
Rebuild your calendar around a March to June signing season for a September start. In practice that means:
- Market from January or February, but hold sign-ups until you are inside the six-month window.
- Use a clearly labelled, non-binding expression of interest in the meantime — and take no money for it, because holding deposits and pre-tenancy payments remain governed by the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
- Serve the Ground 4A statement at the point the group commits, before you send the agreement out for signature.
The upside is a shorter, more certain pipeline. The downside is a genuinely compressed selling season, and more competition inside it. If you let both student and professional HMOs, it is worth reading our comparison of student versus professional HMOs under the Renters’ Rights Act, because the professional model has no Ground 4A equivalent at all.
Rent: increases, and what you can take up front
Section 13 increases
Rent review clauses no longer work. The only lawful route is a section 13 notice, and the rules are strict: once in any 12-month period, with a minimum of two months’ notice, and no higher than open market rent for a comparable property. The tenant may apply to the First-tier Tribunal, which can determine the open market rent — and, importantly, cannot set it higher than you asked for.
For student houses the practical advice is to time the increase away from exam season and away from the summer changeover, and to hold a file of genuine local comparables before you serve. Our step-by-step guide on how to complete a Section 13 notice walks through the form itself.
Rent in advance
This is the change that has done most damage to the student model, and it is widely misunderstood. The position is:
- Before the tenancy is entered into: you may not demand, encourage or accept any rent in advance. Accepting a voluntary offer still breaches the rules and may have to be refunded.
- After signing, before move-in: you may require up to one month’s rent (or 28 days where the rental period is shorter). A clause demanding more is void.
- During the tenancy: rent is payable for the period it relates to. A tenant may choose to pay early, but you cannot require it.
The deposit cap is unchanged at five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000, and it still has to be protected within 30 days — see our deposit protection guide.
International students and guarantors
The advance-rent restriction hits international students hardest, because a year’s rent up front was the standard workaround for an applicant with no UK credit history, no UK income and no UK-based guarantor. That workaround is gone.
What is left is thinner but workable:
- Stronger referencing. Proof of funding, scholarship or loan letters, and university enrolment. Document your criteria and apply them consistently — blanket bans on categories of tenant are now unlawful, and an inconsistent policy is an easy discrimination claim.
- Guarantor services and rent guarantee insurance. Legitimate, but must be genuinely optional and clearly disclosed. You cannot require a tenant to buy a product as a condition of the tenancy.
- An overseas guarantor with a UK-enforceable deed. Practical only if the deed is properly drafted; enforcement abroad is expensive and slow.
What you must not do is dress up a prohibited payment as something else. Administration fees, “referencing” charges and holding deposits above one week’s rent all remain banned under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and local authority enforcement teams have had their powers strengthened.
Possession when things go wrong
Ground 4A covers the planned summer turnover. Everything else — arrears, damage, parties, a house that has become a problem — runs through the ordinary Section 8 grounds. These are the ones student landlords actually use:
| Ground | Covers | Type | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4A | Student HMO, summer re-let to new students | Mandatory | 4 months, expiring 1 Jun – 30 Sep |
| 8 | Serious rent arrears — at least three months’ or 13 weeks’ rent, at both notice and hearing | Mandatory | 4 weeks |
| 10 / 11 | Some arrears, or persistent late payment | Discretionary | 4 weeks |
| 12 | Breach of a tenancy obligation other than rent | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 13 | Deterioration of the property | Discretionary | 2 weeks |
| 14 | Anti-social behaviour, nuisance, or illegal use | Discretionary | Immediate; no order for 14 days |
| 1 / 1A | Landlord or family moving in / selling | Mandatory | 4 months, and not in the first 12 months of the tenancy |
Two points matter more than they used to. First, the Ground 8 arrears threshold sits at three months, which is a long time to carry a student house — act on the first missed payment, not the third. Second, discretionary grounds are decided on reasonableness, so your evidence file is the case: dated complaint logs, photographs, correspondence and a record of the steps you took before issuing. Our guide to dealing with anti-social behaviour covers how to build that record.
What is still coming
Phase 1 was the disruptive part, but three more changes are queued up.
- The Private Rented Sector Database. Regional rollout begins from late 2026. Registration will be mandatory for landlords and properties, with an annual fee, and letting an unregistered property will carry penalties.
- The PRS Landlord Ombudsman. Membership will be compulsory, with the scheme expected to follow the database once its administrator is appointed and set up — current expectations point to around 2028. Our overview of when the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman arrive tracks the timetable.
- Standards. A Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector is proposed for the mid-2030s, Awaab’s Law is due to be extended to the PRS following consultation, and the EPC C minimum energy efficiency target is currently aimed at 2030.
Student HMOs are disproportionately older, larger and harder to heat, so the energy standard is the one worth budgeting for now rather than in 2029.
Mistakes student landlords are making right now
- Serving the Ground 4A statement with the tenancy agreement. It must come first, as a separate step, with proof of the date.
- Assuming Ground 4A covers every student property. It only covers HMOs. One- and two-bed student flats have no equivalent route.
- Missing the February to May service window, then discovering in June that the house is not coming back.
- Still signing groups in the autumn for the following September, which breaches the six-month rule and destroys the Ground 4A route.
- Accepting a term’s rent up front because the tenant offered. Voluntary or not, it breaches the rules before the agreement is entered into.
- Relying on a guarantor deed drafted for a fixed term. Have it reviewed for periodic tenancies and replacement tenancies.
- Using an old rent review clause instead of a section 13 notice.
Conclusion: your 2026/27 action list
Fixed terms are not coming back, and Ground 4A only works for landlords who run a tight paper trail. Five things to do before the next cycle:
- Audit every current tenancy: is it in an HMO, are all tenants students, and was the Ground 4A statement served before signing? Record the answer per property.
- Put a reminder in your diary now for 1 February 2027 to review Ground 4A notices for the summer 2027 turnover.
- Rewrite your sign-up pack: a separate, dated Ground 4A statement; proof of student status; a periodic-tenancy guarantor deed; no pre-tenancy rent.
- Move your marketing calendar to a March–June signing season and remove any autumn sign-up promises.
- Decide, per house, whether you are staying with joint tenancies or moving to individual room lets — and tell the group before they commit.
Frequently asked questions
Can student landlords still use 12-month fixed term contracts?
No. Since 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in England are periodic. Existing fixed terms converted automatically, and it is a breach of the Renters’ Rights Act to purport to grant a new fixed term. An agreement that says “12 months” does not create one.
How much notice does a student have to give to leave?
Two months, at any point in the tenancy. In a joint tenancy, notice given by one tenant ends the tenancy for the entire group.
What is Ground 4A and who can use it?
Ground 4A is a mandatory possession ground for HMOs let to full-time students, allowing possession over the summer so the property can be re-let to a new student group. It requires four months’ notice expiring between 1 June and 30 September, a written statement served before the tenancy is signed, a tenancy entered into no more than six months before occupation, and a genuine intention to re-let to students.
When should I serve a Ground 4A notice for next summer?
Between roughly the start of February and the end of May. Four months’ notice served on 1 February allows a possession date at the start of June; served at the end of May, the earliest date is the end of September.
Does Ground 4A apply to a two-bedroom student flat?
No. The property must be an HMO — at least three people from two or more households sharing as their main home. One- and two-bed student lets fall outside the ground entirely, and possession would have to rest on another Section 8 ground.
Is the two-month Ground 4A notice still available?
No. The shortened two-month notice was a transitional concession for tenancies that pre-dated 1 May 2026, and only for notices served between 1 May and 31 July 2026. All Ground 4A notices now require four months.
Can I still ask international students for a year’s rent in advance?
No. You cannot demand, encourage or accept any rent in advance before the tenancy is entered into, and after signing you can require no more than one month’s rent before move-in. Use stronger referencing, or a genuinely optional guarantor product, instead.
How do I increase the rent on a student house now?
By serving a section 13 notice: once in any 12-month period, with at least two months’ notice, and no more than open market rent. The tenant can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal, which cannot set a rent higher than the one you proposed.
Written by the Landlords Portal team, based on the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the Housing Act 1988 as amended, GOV.UK possession guidance and the Government’s published implementation roadmap. Last reviewed 22 August 2026.
This article is general information for landlords letting in England and is not legal advice. Ground 4A turns on the precise facts and paperwork of each tenancy — take advice from a housing solicitor before serving any notice.
