Renters' Rights Act
Information for students arriving in 2026 and intending to rent a room in a private hall
If you are arriving in Liverpool to study in 2026 and you would like to live in halls, you have the following options depending upon which university you will be attending:
- A room in a university-owned hall - please see this page for information
- A room in a private hall booked through your university's Accommodation Office, if a suitable room in a university-owned hall is not available
- A room allocated in a partner hall (privately owned hall)
- A room in a private hall, booked by you directly.
The information on this page is for students who intend to rent a room in private halls.
In this section:
Changes to renting private student accommodation
University halls booked through your university's Accommodation Office
Private halls booked through your university's Accommodation Office
Choosing to rent a room in a private hall
Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be replaced
Current Assured Shorthold Tenancies
Booking after 1 May
The National Code
Differences between Assured Shorthold, Assured Periodic and Common Law Tenancy Agreements
Paying rent up front
Guarantors
If you do not have a guarantor
Notice to quit the Assured Periodic Tenancy
Communication with the accommodation provider
How to get support
Advice for specific circumstances
Changes to renting private student accommodation
There are changes taking place to legislation on 1 May 2026, that will affect the type of tenancy that you are offered. These changes will only apply to private student accommodation.
Private halls - booked through your university’s Accommodation Office
University of Liverpool
In some circumstances, usually when university owned halls are fully booked, the university’s Accommodation Office may offer you a room in a private hall. These halls are owned and managed by private accommodation providers, not your university. If this situation applies to you, please see the information below about living in private halls.
Liverpool John Moores University
LJMU students are allocated rooms in partner halls by the university’s Accommodation Office. These halls are owned and managed by private accommodation providers, not by the university. Please see below for information about living in private halls.
Choosing to rent a room in a private hall (also known as a larger student development or purpose built student accommodation – PBSA)
If you are planning to study in the UK in 2026 and you are considering renting a room in a private hall, you need to be aware of the legislation changes happening on 1 May. This is so that you can make an informed decision, about which accommodation is most suitable for your circumstances.
Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be replaced with Assured Periodic Tenancies or Common Law Tenancies
To rent a room in a private hall, you are usually asked to sign an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement. This is a type of fixed-term contract, so it has a start and end date. On 1 May, this type of tenancy is being replaced by an Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement, which is a rolling tenancy, so it runs month to month, with no end date.
The type of tenancy you are offered after 1 May will be determined by whether the private hall is a member of the National Code. Read more about the National Code in the section below and visit the website The National Code.
To find out if your hall is a Code member, search the members directory here.
Current Assured Shorthold Tenancies
If you have already booked a room and have a signed Assured Shorthold Tenancy with a fixed end date, it will convert to an Assured Periodic Tenancy or rolling tenancy, on 1 May 2026.
Booking after 1 May 2026
If you are booking a room in a private hall after 1 May and the provider is a member of the National Code, you will be offered a Common Law Tenancy, which is another type of fixed term tenancy, meaning you will need to move out by the date specified in your contract. You should check the length of the tenancy as it has a fixed end date and it may finish before the end of your course.
If the hall is not a National Code member you will be offered an Assured Periodic Tenancy (rolling tenancy).
To find out if your hall is a member, search the members directory here.
The National Code
Private halls can voluntarily become members of the National Code – an accreditation scheme which ensures better standards for accommodation. They must comply with good practice standards that relate to both the physical condition of a building as well as its day-to-day management. They are also vetted to check they are meeting the standards of the National Code.
The differences between an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, Assured Periodic Tenancy and Common Law Tenancy
Assured Shorthold Tenancies:
Assured Periodic Tenancies:
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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.
Common Law Tenancies
- You should check the length of the tenancy as it has a fixed end date and it may finish before the end of your course.
Paying rent up front
Private halls who are National Code members and offer Common Law Tenancies, can request rent upfront, this could be up to the full amount for the rental period.
Those who are not members and who offer an Assured Periodic Tenancy, can only request a maximum of one months’ rent upfront.
Guarantors
Private halls may ask you for the details of someone who is willing to pay your rent and/or any outstanding bills on your behalf, should you not be able to pay during your tenancy. This person is called a guarantor.
The type of guarantor that is accepted will vary by hall; therefore you should check the guarantor policies carefully for the halls that you are interested in.
Examples of types of guarantor:
- UK-based – someone you know who is a permanent resident in the UK. Halls may ask for a homeowner or proof of ability to pay such as salary information.
- Non-UK
- Guarantor company – you pay a fee for the company to act as your guarantor. They are also known as third party guarantors.
If you do not have a guarantor
Halls who are National Code members and use Common Law Tenancy Agreements from 1 May.
It is likely that you will be asked to pay the full rent upfront, if:
- you are unable to provide a guarantor
- your chosen hall does not accept the type of guarantor that you may have
- you are choosing not to use a guarantor company.
Halls who are not National Code members and will use Periodic Tenancy Agreements from 1 May.
- The provider cannot ask for more than 1 months' rent in advance, so they are more likely to ask you for details of a guarantor or a guarantor company.
- You can offer to pay the landlord rent in advance instead of providing a guarantor.
- This is something you should double check with the provider and consider carefully when searching for your accommodation.
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 instructions 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.
Communicate with the accommodation provider
If you are moving to the UK and you have already signed a tenancy agreement for a room in a private hall before 1 May 2026, it's important to read any information that they send to you about the changes to your tenancy, that will apply from 1 May. The type of tenancy is particularly important, as this will affect how you end the tenancy.
They should be able answer your questions and explain anything that you don’t understand.
How to get support
If you need further advice and guidance you can contact your university, Students’ Union and Liverpool Student Homes.
Advice specific to students in the following circumstances
You are moving to Liverpool to study in 2026 and you have booked a room in a university-owned hall
The changes to legislation on 1 May 2026, will not affect you. However, if you intend to move out of university halls in the future to rent privately, it's important that you familiarise yourself with the changes.
You are moving to Liverpool to study in 2026 and you have booked a room in a private hall, before 1 May 2026
Check the type of tenancy agreement that you have. If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, with a fixed end date, it will automatically be replaced with an Assured Periodic Tenancy on 1 May. To end a periodic tenancy, you will need to give two full months' notice in writing to the accommodation provider. The priodic tenancy will run month to month and it has no fixed end date.
You have not yet booked a room in a private hall but you intend to, after 1 May 2026
You should research your accommodation options carefully, based on your circumstances.
Some private halls are members of the National Code and will offer you a Common Law Tenancy, with a fixed end date and the option to pay up front if you do not have a suitable guarantor or guarantor company.
Those halls who are not members of the National Code will offer you a Periodic Tenancy and it's likely that you will need a suitable guarantor, as accommodation providers are no longer allowed to request large amounts of rent up front, only 1 month. However, you are able to offer to pay rent in advance if you are unable to provide a guarantor.
If you are offered a Licence Agreement, you should get advice from Liverpool Student Homes or your Students' Union, before signing it. This is because these types of agreement limit your rights.
You do not have a suitable guarantor
Check with the private hall to see if they will accept a guarantor company. This type of company will charge you a fee to act as your guarantor. If they do not accept guarantor companies, then you may need to consider other private halls.
Check if the halls that you are interested in are members of the National Code as they will offer Common Law Tenancies from 1 May 2026. These tenancies will have a fixed end date and you pay be offered the option to pay your rent up front, without the need for a guarantor. Check if they are a member on the National Code membership search.