For students renting privately, news of a “Renters’ Rights Bill” might sound a bit dry, but it could seriously change your housing experience. This new UK legislation is bringing the biggest shake-up to renting rules in decades, and as a student tenant you’ll want to know what's coming.
What is the Renters’ Rights Bill?
The Renters’ Rights Bill is a proposed law designed to strengthen tenants’ rights in the private rented sector. In simple terms, it aims to give renters more security in their homes and remove some common unfair practices. It also introduces a host of other protections (from limits on rent hikes to better housing standards) to make renting fairer and less stressful. This is being called the biggest reform to renting since the late 1980s, so it’s a big deal!
Status: As of August 2025, the Bill is still going through Parliament but is expected to become law by autumn 2025, with changes likely coming into effect in early 2026. In other words, the new rules could kick in during your time at uni, so it’s worth understanding them now.
More Security: No More “No-Fault” Evictions
One of the headline changes is the end of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions. Currently, a landlord can ask you to leave when your fixed-term ends without giving any reason, a situation that leaves many student renters feeling insecure. The new Bill abolishes Section 21 evictions altogether. This means if you’re paying your rent and not breaking the tenancy terms, you can’t just be booted out for no cause. Landlords will have to use specific legitimate grounds (like if they’re selling the property or if you’ve seriously breached the contract) and get approval from a court or tribunal to evict.
For students, this added security is huge. You’ll be able to stay in your rented home as long as you need to, without fear that you might be asked to leave just because the landlord felt like re-listing the property. The National Union of Students (NUS) welcomed this change, saying it should give students more confidence to demand repairs or improvements without worrying about arbitrary eviction. In short, if you’re a decent tenant, you have a much better chance of staying put throughout your studies. And if your landlord does need the property back for a valid reason, they’ll need to give you a longer notice period (in many cases 4 months) under the new rules, giving you more time to find a new place.
Goodbye Fixed-Term Contracts – Hello Rolling Tenancies
Perhaps the most dramatic change for students is the end of fixed-term tenancy agreements. Traditionally, most students sign a 12-month fixed contract (often October to June) that neatly fits the academic year. The Renters’ Rights Bill will ban fixed-term tenancies for private rentals, meaning all tenancies will become periodic (rolling) with no set end-date. Instead of your contract automatically ending in June or September, it would just continue until someone ends it.
What does that mean for you? Essentially, you (or your housemates) can end the tenancy whenever needed by giving notice. Under the new system, a student on a joint tenancy will be able to serve two months’ notice at any time to end the contract. This offers a lot more flexibility. If you decide to drop out or switch uni, or if you’re unhappy with the accommodation, you wouldn’t be locked in for the rest of the year, you could leave by giving two months’ notice.
However, this freedom comes with a flip side. In a group tenancy, if one housemate gives notice, it ends the tenancy for the whole group. So imagine one person in your student house wants to move out early, that would legally end the tenancy for everyone, potentially leaving the rest of you scrambling mid-year. Your group might be able to negotiate with the landlord to re-rent or replace a housemate, but the ultimate decision lies with the landlord on whether to let the remaining tenants stay or not. In short, renting with friends could become a bit less predictable: one person’s change of plans affects everyone.
There’s also concern about the impact on the wider student housing cycle. With no fixed end dates, a final-year student could decide to stay on in their student house after graduation. That’s great for that student as they can stay in their community longer, but it might reduce housing availability for incoming students. Industry groups have warned that if graduates remain in properties under rolling tenancies, it could leave new undergraduates struggling to secure homes for the new academic year. Private student landlords rely on predictable move-out dates each summer so they can offer the house to a new cohort in September. The Bill does include a special “student housing” possession ground (Ground 4A) to let landlords evict tenants at the end of an academic year for the next batch of students, but initially this was limited to larger HMO properties with 3+ bedrooms. Recently, the House of Lords voted to extend that to cover one- and two-bedroom student properties as well (since many postgrads and couples live in smaller flats). However, that change isn’t final, it could be overturned by MPs in the House of Commons. So, keep an eye on this: the final law may or may not guarantee that all student rentals can be repossessed each year for new students. If Parliament does allow it, then most student tenancies will still end around summer by default (maintaining the usual cycle, just via a mandated notice rather than a fixed term). If not, we might see more students staying put year after year, and you might face more competition finding a new place each autumn.
Tip: Note that this change does not apply to university halls or Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). Those providers have an exemption and can continue offering fixed-term contracts aligned to the academic year. So if you’re in halls or a private student dorm, you’ll still sign a termly contract as usual. The new periodic tenancy rules mainly affect students renting houses or flats from private landlords.
Rent and Money Matters: Caps on Increases and Upfront Payments
Money is a huge part of renting, and the Renters’ Rights Bill brings some student-friendly financial changes:
- Rent increases once a year, with notice: Under the new law, your landlord can only raise the rent at most once per year, and even then it must be done through a formal process (a “Section 13” notice) with at least two months’ warning. No more sneaky mid-term rent hikes or random increases without notice. If you think an increase is unfair (e.g. way above the local market rate), you’ll have the right to challenge it through a tribunal, which can decide a fair rent. This gives students more power to push back against unreasonable rent rises, whereas before you might have felt pressure to just accept it or move out.
- No more rent bidding wars: Ever heard of tenants bidding over the asking rent to secure a property? It’s been happening in some hot markets. The Bill will outlaw rental bidding wars as landlords must advertise a fixed price and can’t solicit or accept offers above that. For students in competitive cities, this is good news: you shouldn’t be outbid on a house just because another group offered £50 more a month. The listed price is the price, period.
- Cap on upfront rent: Many students (especially international students or those without a UK guarantor) have been asked to pay 6 or even 12 months’ rent upfront to secure a tenancy. This can be a huge financial burden. The new legislation will limit advance rent payments to one month’s rent only. So landlords cannot demand more than one month’s rent in advance (aside from the usual tenancy deposit). This levels the playing field so you’re not expected to cough up a giant lump sum just to get a roof over your head.
- Potential downside: Some landlords used large upfront payments as a form of security. Without that option, they might become more choosy with tenants. For example, if you’re an international student with no local guarantor, a landlord can’t ask you for 6 months’ rent now, but they might be hesitant to rent to you at all, fearing they have less financial safety net. Property experts have pointed out this cap could make landlords more reluctant to accept tenants without strong references or credit, unless other solutions (like guarantor services or insurance) step in. So, if you don’t have a guarantor, consider using a third-party guarantor service or insurance product to give the landlord peace of mind under the new rules.
- Monthly (not termly) rent payments: Many students currently pay rent termly (three big payments in line with student loan dates). With the new one-month cap on advance rent, termly payment arrangements will likely disappear. You’ll be paying monthly like most other renters. This doesn’t affect how much you pay overall, but it means you’ll need to budget your student loan across monthly rent due dates rather than handing it over in one go for the term. (If you’re in university-managed halls, you can ignore this, halls can still let you pay according to the term schedule, as they’re exempt from the rule)
- Deposits and pets: The Bill doesn’t reduce the standard tenancy deposit cap (which is already 5 weeks’ rent in most cases), but it does tackle the pet dilemma. Landlords will no longer be able to blanket-ban pets without considering it, the default is that you can request to have a pet and the landlord should accommodate it if reasonable. To sweeten this for landlords, Parliament is looking at allowing a small “pet deposit” (up to 3 weeks’ rent) specifically for pet damage. In practice, if you have a pet, you might have to pay a bit more deposit or insurance, but at least you’ll have a shot at being allowed a pet in your student house rather than an automatic “no”.
Better Quality Homes and Fairer Treatment
The Renters’ Rights Bill isn’t just about eviction and rent, it also promises higher standards and protections that could really benefit students who often endure less-than-ideal living conditions:
- Decent Homes Standard: For the first time, legal minimum housing standards will apply to private rentals. The “Decent Homes Standard” (already used in social housing) will set baseline requirements so your student house should be safe, in good repair, and free from serious hazards. No more turning a blind eye to that dodgy damp or broken boiler, landlords will be obliged to keep the property in a decent state. This could mean warmer, safer homes for students and fewer horror-story house shares.
- Awaab’s Law – tackling mold: After a tragic case of a toddler’s death due to mold (Awaab Ishak), the law now compels landlords to fix dangerous damp and mould issues quickly. The Renters’ Rights Bill extends “Awaab’s Law” to private rentals. So if you have mold spreading on your walls, the landlord must address it in a timely manner or face enforcement. This is especially important for student houses where mold is a common complaint in winter months.
- No discrimination: The Bill bans landlords from refusing tenants just because they are on benefits or have children. In the student context, this might not seem directly relevant (most full-time students aren’t claiming housing benefit, and not many undergrads have kids in tow). But it sets a tone that all tenants deserve a home, and it might help some student tenants (for instance, older students or those with families) who face bias. At the very least, you won’t see “No DSS” or “Professionals only, no kids” in adverts if the law passes, those phrases would be illegal.
- New Ombudsman and landlord database: All private landlords will be required to join a Private Renters’ Ombudsman scheme. This gives you, the tenant, a free and easier way to resolve disputes. If your landlord is ignoring repair requests or you feel they’ve treated you unfairly, you can take the issue to the Ombudsman who can investigate and even order the landlord to sort it out or compensate you. Additionally, a national landlord database will be set up. This will register landlords and properties, and could flag up bad actors (for example, if a landlord has multiple code violations). In the future, you might be able to check if a landlord is registered or if they’ve been blacklisted for past misconduct, a very useful tool when choosing who to rent from!
In short, these changes aim to make renting safer and fairer. Student renters often put up with subpar conditions or hesitant landlords; the new rules will give you more leverage to insist on decent living conditions and hold landlords accountable.
