Historically, most students renting private housing were on a joint fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy (AST). Tenants would be 'tied into' a tenancy for a fixed period of time (usually 6 or 12 months) before they could give notice to leave, and it was very difficult to end a tenancy early as an individual or group.

This is changing from 1st May 2026. 

All existing fixed-term ASTs, and new tenancy agreements, will become a 'periodic' assured tenancy - these are sometimes referred to as 'rolling' tenancies. Periodic tenancies do not have an automatic or assumed end date. Tenants will still need to give notice when they want to leave, which is usually a period of 2 months, but it does not need to be at a specific date or time of the year. 

This is really helpful for flexibility, and makes it easier for tenants to leave a property when it suits them. However this can impact a joint tenancy if just one person wants to leave. Please read the section below called 'Ending a tenancy' to understand the implications. 

Previously landlords or letting agents could ask for several months of rent upfront (as much as a year's worth!). Students could also request to pay rent in advance if they didn't want to pay on a rolling basis. 

Under the new RRA, landlords will not be able to request large lump sum payments - they will now only be able to ask for one month's rent (and the standard deposit amount) in advance. They will still be able to ask for a holding deposit. 

What this means: Upfront costs should be significantly lower, making it more affordable for students to rent privately. However, landlords may respond by being more strict with referencing requirements, relying more heavily on guarantors, or being more selective about tenants. 

Section 21 (no fault evictions) allowed landlords to freely regain possession of their property at the end of a fixed term tenancy - meaning they could evict tenants without given a clear or substantiated reason, even if tenants wanted to stay in the property past the fixed term.

This is changing from 1st May 2026.

Landlords can only rely on specific legal grounds and reasons (Section 8) to evict you - such as selling their property, moving back into the home themselves, or if tenants have breached their tenancy (like not paying rent or anti-social behaviour)

We're pleased to see this change, as it offers more protection for student tenants and regulates the process of legal, justified evictions. 

Before the RRA, under fixed-term joint tenancies, if one tenant left early the remaining household could remain on the tenancy but would be legally responsible for the full rent. This would often be remedied by finding a replacement tenant, with the consent of the landlord, and updating the tenancy agreement. 

From 1st May 2026 under a periodic joint tenancy, any individual tenant can give 'notice to quit'. This will legally end the tenancy for the entire household after the notice period, even if everyone else wants to stay in the property.

A notice period will usually be 2 months. The remaining tenants will need to negotiate with the landlord or move out at the end of the notice period.

Avoiding issues

One person leaving a joint tenancy will now affect all tenants, so it's really important to communicate early about when you'd like to move out of a property. Be open and honest with your housemates, and seek support if there are changing circumstances in your group that could impact your tenancy.

What to do if someone gives 'notice to quit' in your home

We suggest speaking to your landlord or letting agent as soon as possible, putting things in writing whenever you can. Let them know if you want to stay in the property, and find out if they'd be prepared to renegotiate your tenancy terms, or start a new tenancy with an additional replacement tenant. 

The RRA changes are new for landlords as well as tenants, so they may need to seek some advice or information about how to manage the circumstances themselves. 

University accommodation

A tenant will have the right to request to keep a pet, and it will be harder for a landlord to refuse without a reasonable justification. Tenants will have to put the request in writing, and include a description of the pet. 

The RRA specifies that there may be times when a landlord's refusal is reasonable. This could include situations where permitting a pet would breach an agreement with a superiod landlord, or where the superior landlord withholds consent. Guidance beyond this is not currently fully clear as to what is considered 'unreasonable', as each tenant's case should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In joint tenancies, this will be particularly important as the landlord will need to balance the pet request with the needs and wants of all other tenants. Governmental guidance issued to landlords suggests that 'reasonable' refusal might include instances where another tenant has an allergy, the property is too small or the pet is illegal to own. 

Our understanding is that unreasonable refusal could include the landlord just not liking pets, non-specific concerns about how the pet could damage a property, or historic problems with other tenants owning pets.

Don't forget: any damage caused by pets in a rented property could potentially be claimed by your landlord through your deposit, in the same way any non-wear-and-tear damage caused by people would be.

Landlords will be expected to issue a Government Information Sheet to all existing tenants - you can get ahead by reviewing the guidance here.

For 2026 only, if you're an existing student tenant, you may be served a notice to end your tenancy between 1st May and 30th July 2026, with a 2 month notice period to move out. This will help manage availability for students needing homes ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.

Please remember that landlords only have access to the same information as the rest of us, so may need to seek advice from landlord associations or legal advisors.