Ending a student let after the Renters' Rights Act

Under the Renters' Rights Act, student lets in England are assured periodic tenancies like any other, so students no longer leave automatically at the end of a fixed term. To get a student HMO back for the next academic year you can use Ground 4A, which needs 4 months' notice, a notice date between 1 June and 30 September, and a written statement given to the students before the tenancy was entered into. Without that statement, Ground 4A can't be used at all.

What the Renters' Rights Act changed for student lets

Much of what was discussed under the Renters' Rights Bill (students, fixed terms, Ground 4A) is now in force:

• No more fixed terms. Since 1 May 2026 terms providing for a fixed term have no effect, and existing student tenancies continued as periodic tenancies.
• Students can leave at any time with 2 months' notice in writing, or less if you agree in writing.
• One student's notice can end the joint tenancy. GOV.UK says one joint tenant will usually be able to end it without the others' agreement.
• A new student ground. Ground 4A lets you recover the property for the next group of students, under strict conditions.

When Ground 4A applies

Ground 4A is mandatory. For tenancies that began on or after 1 May 2026, all of these must be true:

1. The property is, or is in, a house in multiple occupation (HMO).
2. Every tenant met the student test when the tenancy was entered into: a full-time student, or someone you reasonably believed would become one.
3. You gave a written statement before the tenancy was entered into, saying you may want to recover possession on this ground.
4. The tenancy was entered into 6 months or less before the tenants became entitled to move in.
5. The date in the notice falls between 1 June and 30 September.
6. You intend to re-let to students.

Existing tenancies (before 1 May 2026): the written statement had to be given by 31 May 2026, and condition 4 doesn't apply. For "qualifying student tenancies", where you or your manager belong to a specified code of practice, conditions 1 and 5 don't apply either. The temporary 2-month notice period for existing tenancies ended with notices served by 30 July 2026; it is 4 months now.

Notice period and the June to September window

You need at least 4 months' notice, and the date must land in the window. That gives you a service window for each summer:

Notice served	Date in the notice	Within the window?
Before 1 February 2027	Before 1 June 2027 if you give only 4 months	No: give more notice so the date is 1 June or later
1 February 2027	1 June 2027	Yes, earliest
1 March 2027	1 July 2027	Yes
30 May 2027	30 September 2027	Yes, latest
After 30 May 2027	After 30 September 2027	No

Proceedings must start within 12 months of service. Our notice period calculator checks the window for you.

Evidence for each student house

• Evidence the property is an HMO, such as your HMO licence if it needs one.
• Evidence that each tenant was, or was expected to become, a full-time student when the tenancy began.
• A copy of the written statement and proof of when you gave it.
• Evidence you intend to re-let to students, such as next year's bookings or your marketing plans.
• The deposit protection certificate and prescribed information. The deposit bar applies to Ground 4A.

Timeline for summer 2027

For a student HMO where the current group hasn't given notice:

1. Monday 1 February 2027: serve Form 3A on Ground 4A by hand on every named tenant.
2. Tuesday 1 June 2027: the date in the notice, and the earliest court date. Issue on paper (forms N5 and N119).
3. 29 June to 27 July 2027: first hearing, at least 28 days after issue and normally within 8 weeks.
4. Around 27 July 2027: possession order at the median of 8.0 weeks from claim, with possession usually 14 days later (around 10 August 2027) and never more than 6 weeks.
5. If the students still stay: apply for a warrant. At the median of 24.6 weeks from claim, repossession by bailiffs would be around 20 November 2027, well into the new academic year.

The medians are from the Ministry of Justice's mortgage and landlord possession statistics for April to June 2026 (published 13 August 2026), for private landlords' standard claims. The figures are provisional, and most of those claims rested on notices served before 1 May 2026. The lesson is to serve as early in the window as you can. Your students may give their own notice before then, but you can't rely on it.

If Ground 4A isn't available

If you didn't give the written statement, the property isn't an HMO, or the window has passed, Ground 4A won't work. Your options are:

• agree an end date in writing with all the students;
• use another ground if one genuinely applies, such as rent arrears or breach of the tenancy;
• give the written statement before every new student tenancy from now on.

Costs

The court fee to issue is £415, and a warrant of possession is £152. Our Section 8 notice costs £39 and our court pack £79. See eviction costs.

What to avoid

Watch out: don't tell students they must be out by the end of the academic year, or change the locks over the summer. Only a court order executed by bailiffs can end their occupation, and illegal eviction can bring a penalty of up to £40,000.

• Serving with a date outside 1 June to 30 September.
• Relying on Ground 4A without the written statement.
• Leaving out a joint tenant from the notice. Every tenant must be named.

This guide covers England only. Wales (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016), Scotland and Northern Ireland have different law.

What to do next

Check whether you gave the written statement, then create a Section 8 notice on Ground 4A in good time for the window. HMO landlords should also read the Renters' Rights Act guide for HMOs. For other situations, go back to how to evict a tenant.