Do you have to leave a student tenancy in the summer?
This advice is for full time students renting from a private landlord or letting agent.
You have different rights in student halls of residence.
Student house shares
Your tenancy may have changed on 1 May 2026 because of the Renters' Rights Act.
This could make it harder for your landlord to make you leave.
But your rights have not changed if you got a valid eviction notice before 1 May.
New rights if your tenancy has changed
Your assured shorthold tenancy (AST) is now an assured periodic tenancy.
This means:
your contract no longer has an end date
you might need to give a notice if you want to leave
your landlord can only evict you all with a section 8 notice
The Renters' Rights Act information sheet on GOV.UK has more on your new rights.
Your landlord or agent must give you a copy by 31 May 2026.
Talk to the people you share a house with
Many students choose to move out in the summer.
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.
Whether you want to stay or go, it's important to plan ahead.
What if you all want to leave?
Contact your landlord or letting agent in May if you all plan to leave.
You might have to give 2 months' notice if your tenancy has changed.
But your landlord can agree to end the tenancy earlier if you all want to go. They will probably be happy with this if they have new tenants ready to move in. Get their agreement in writing.
More on how to:
What if any joint tenants decide to stay?
Talk to your housemates about their plans.
In a joint tenancy, the choices or actions of people you share with can affect your rights.
Your tenancy ends if any tenant gives your landlord a valid 'notice to quit'. The joint tenancy ends for everyone. Anyone who wants to stay needs to agree a new tenancy with the landlord.
If some of you want to stay and some want to leave, you could look for other people to move in. The tenants who want to stay could then ask the landlord if they can sign a new tenancy agreement.
If no one gives a valid notice or signs a new agreement, your tenancy might not end. For example, if you agree a move out date with your landlord but do not all leave by that day.
This could mean you're still responsible for rent even if you move out.
More on moving out of a joint tenancy.
What if new tenants are ready to move in?
Your landlord might have signed an agreement with new tenants if they expect you to move.
For example, another group of students might have a tenancy agreement to start in July.
This could be a difficult situation 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: 1 May 2026
