At the latest AFS webinar on the 22nd of June, Ellie Bateman, Senior Campaigns and Public Affairs officer for the NRLA outlined their response to the Renters’ Reform Bill.
No exemption for student landlords
While the NRLA recognise the difficulties the bill will cause for those renting to students, they also believe there is no realistic opportunity to achieve an exemption for student landlords in the same way that PBSA will be exempt.
The NRLA believe that there are significant legal barriers to achieving an exemption for ‘off street’ student accommodation and are therefore focusing their efforts on mitigating the impact of the bill.
Two-month notice period
One change the NRLA are more confident of achieving is the ability of student landlords to serve two months notice to recover possession of their property at the end of the academic year. The intention here is to ensure that properties can still be let in line with the academic calendar.
In practise this would at least mean that landlords could be confident of marketing their student portfolio in Autumn for the following academic year.
Minimum six-month tenancies
The NRLA believes it is possible to introduce a minimum six-month tenancy period for student lets. This would be done by removing the ability of tenants in student accommodation to serve notice in the first four months of their tenancy.
While the NRLA do acknowledge that this would not be as advantageous as the current position, it is the best that can be achieved in the current circumstances.
Joint tenancies
Finally the NRLA is working on a proposal to ensure joint tenancies are workable. This is likely to involve a deed of assignment, which will enable the remaining tenants of a student property to continue with their tenancy should a member of the group terminate their tenancy.
Next steps
You can watch the webinar here and review the slides from the session here.
Feedback to NRLA
Accommodation for Students is coordinating feedback to the NRLA on their proposals here. Once you have viewed the webinar please provide your feedback so we can pass it onto the NRLA.
