Do you have to leave a student tenancy in the summer?
Guide for students renting from a private landlord or letting agent.
Students in halls of residence have different rights.
Student house shares
Many students choose to move out in the summer.
Landlords often expect students to leave then so they can rent the property to a new group for the next academic year.
How does the Renters' Rights Act change student renting?
The Renters' Rights Act changed the law for most private renters on 1 May 2026.
Most student renters now have assured tenancies.
This applies if either:
your tenancy started on or after 1 May 2026
your assured shorthold tenancy (AST) became an assured tenancy on this date
Most ASTs became assured tenancies on 1 May because of the Renters' Rights Act.
But your rights may not have changed if you got an eviction notice before 1 May.
Rights in an assured tenancy
Assured tenancies are rolling tenancies. This means:
your contract does not have an end date
you need to give a notice if you want to leave
you can give notice at any time of year
your landlord can only evict you with a section 8 notice
More on:
If you signed your agreement before 1 May 2026
Your tenancy agreement might not explain your rights properly.
For example, it might still say it is an 'assured shorthold' or that it ends on a certain date.
Talk to your housemates about their plans
Many student house shares are joint tenancies. You have a joint tenancy if you all signed the same agreement, even if you only pay rent for your room.
In a joint tenancy, the choices or actions of people you share with can affect your rights.
Whether you want to stay or go, it's important to plan ahead.
What if you all want to leave?
You usually have to give 2 months' notice.
Your landlord can agree to a shorter notice period in writing if you all want to leave.
You can give notice at any time of year. But make sure you will all be ready to leave by the time the notice ends.
A joint tenancy ends for everyone if any tenant gives your landlord a valid notice.
More on:
If no one gives a valid notice, your tenancy might not end.
You could still be responsible for rent even if you move out.
What if any joint tenants want to stay?
Anyone who wants to stay needs to agree a new tenancy with the landlord.
You could look for other people to move in.
The tenants who want to stay could then ask to sign a new tenancy agreement with the landlord and the replacement tenants.
Be aware that your landlord:
might not agree to a new tenancy
might agree but want to put the rent up
can ask any new tenants to have a guarantor
could charge up to £50 to change the names on the old agreement
More on moving in or out of a joint tenancy.
What if new tenants are ready to move in?
Your landlord might have an agreement with different tenants if they expected you all to leave.
For example, another group of students might have signed a tenancy agreement to start in July or September.
If you still live there, this could be difficult for the landlord and the group expecting to move in.
Your landlord might be able to get an eviction order from a court. But they must give you a legal notice first.
Pressure to leave?
Your tenancy rights are stronger than those who have not yet moved in.
You could agree to move out but you do not have to. Your landlord might offer you money to leave. You could accept this if you have somewhere to move to.
You cannot be forced to leave without a court order. This is an illegal eviction.
Last updated: 3 August 2026
