Renters' Rights Act
Information for students intending to rent a house or flat
If you are coming to Liverpool to study in 2026, you need to be aware of some changes that are happening to legislation, that you will need to consider when choosing your accommodation.
On 1 May 2026, changes to legislation will mean that you are offered a different type of tenancy agreement, for renting private student accommodation. This will affect:
- Paying rent up front when you sign the tenancy
- Whether you need a guarantor
- How you end the tenancy when you want to move out.
If you are planning on renting a room in a university-owned hall, these changes will not apply to you, as you will be offered a Licence Agreement. This is a different type of tenancy agreement that will not be affected by the new legislation. Find out more about university-owned accommodation here and Licence Agreements here.
If you are considering renting a room in a private hall, also known as large student development or purpose built student accommodation (PBSA), please read the page about how the Renters' Rights Act will affect students planning to rent private halls.
In this section
Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements will be replaced with an Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreemements
Differences between these two types of tenancy
Giving Notice to quit the periodic tenancy
What happens if not all tenants in a joint tenancy want to give notice
Paying rent
No more than one month’s rent can be paid before moving in
Rent changes
Possession of the property by the accommodation provider or eviction
Advice for specific circumstances
How to get support
Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be replaced with Assured Periodic Tenancies
The standard type of tenancy agreement, or contract, that is offered to you when renting a private property such as a room in a house or flat, is known as an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. On 1 May 2026, this type of agreement will be replaced with an Assured Periodic Tenancy.
Assured Shorthold Tenancies:
Assured Periodic Tenancies:
-
To end the tenancy, tenants must give two full months’ notice to quit. Alternatively, there must be mutual agreement between the landlord and tenant to end the tenancy or by the landlord obtaining possession following service of an appropriate notice. See Ground4A Notice for details.
Notice to quit the Assured Periodic Tenancy
With the new type of periodic tenancy, you will need to give notice to your accommodation provider to end your tenancy, as there is no fixed end date in a rolling tenancy. This means you will need to tell them in writing when you wish to end the tenancy and move out.
The notice period is 2 full months’ notice. Check your tenancy agreement to see if there are intructions to how notice should be given. If you need to give notice by post, you will need to allow additional days for postal delivery. If there are no details on how notice should be given, it must still be in writing, so email should be sufficient and quicker.
For example:
If you wish to end the tenancy and move out of the property on 31 March 2027, you will need to give notice in writing to the accommodation provider on 31 January 2027. However, if notice is given a couple of days later on 2 February 2027 the tenancy will end on 30 April 2027, so you will pay an extra months’ rent, as the notice period needs to be 2 full months.
What happens if you have a joint tenancy agreement and not all tenants want to give notice
If there is a joint tenancy agreement (when all tenants are listed on the same contract) and only one or some of the tenants give 2 months’ notice, then this will end the tenancy for everyone. It’s important that you communicate your intentions with the other tenants.
The landlord and the remaining tenants may negotiate a new tenancy agreement for the property.
Paying rent
From 1 May 2026 accommodation providers cannot request more than one month’s rent at a time. However, you are able to offer to pay rent in advance if you are unable to provide a guarantor.
Rent already paid in advance will not need to be returned, unless notice is given by the tenant to end the tenancy.
Advance rent cannot be paid before signing a tenancy agreement.
Accommodation providers cannot ask for a payment of rent from you, before signing a tenancy agreement. If a landlord or letting agent accepts a pre-tenancy payment of rent, they will be in breach of the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and can receive a financial penalty from the local authority. Any advance rent paid prior to 1 May 2026 will not need to be returned.
No more than one month’s rent can be paid before moving in
From 1 May 2026 accommodation providers will be allowed to request up to one months’ rent, between the tenancy agreement being signed and you moving in on the first day of the tenancy. However, you are able to offer to pay rent in advance if you are unable to provide a guarantor
Rent changes
If you move into a property and you believe that your rent amount is not in line with market rents in your area, you can make an application to the First-tier Property Tribunal, to have your rent reduced. You can only do this within the first 6 months of the start of the tenancy.
If you intend to live in a property for more than 12 months, the accommodation provider will only be able to increase the rent once per year, and only in line with the market rent for the area. They must give you 2 months’ notice of the rent increase.
If the rent increase is not in line with market rents, you can challenge this at the First-tier Property Tribunal.
Grounds for possession of the property by the accommodation provider
A new way for landlords to gain possession of their property, so a new group of students can rent it, is a Ground 4A Notice.
The accommodation provider must provide a written statement at the start of the tenancy of their wish to recover the property to let it to another group of students. The accommodation provider must give at least 4 months’ notice and it must expire at some point between 1 June and 30 September.
Ground 4A will not be available if the tenancy of the property has been signed 6 months or more before it commences.
Advice specific to students in the following circumstances:
You will be arriving in the UK in 2026 and you have signed a tenancy for your private accommodation before 1 May 2026
Your current tenancy agreement will be a fixed term Assured Shorthold Tenancy, which will convert to an Assured Periodic Tenancy on 1 May. This is a rolling tenancy with no end date, so it will continue into the next academic year running month to month, until you give 2 months’ notice to quit.
You will be arriving in the UK in 2026 and you have not yet booked accommodation but you plan to do so after 1 May 2026
From 1 May 2026 landlords and agents must offer you an Assured Periodic Tenancy for renting houses, flats or rooms and be compliant with all new regulations. You can get advice from your university, Students’ Union or Liverpool Student Homes, if the landlord does not comply with new legislation after 1 May and they offer you a fixed term tenancy instead of a periodic tenancy.
You require a guarantor to rent a property
You may be asked by a landlord to provide a UK guarantor – this is usually someone who is a homeowner in the UK and who voluntarily signs a guarantee to pay your rent on your behalf, should you not be able to pay.
If you do not have a UK guarantor, there are companies who will act as your guarantor, for a fee. These can be found online by searching for UK guarantor companies. You should research these companies carefully.
Check if the landlord accepts guarantor companies as a guarantor, as not all do.
Not all landlords request guarantors. When searching for a property, look for this information on the property advert or ask the landlord directly.
How to get support
If you have any questions or need housing advice, you can contact your university, Students’ Union or Liverpool Student Homes.