Reforms to student housing risk undermining access to higher education and making it harder for students to secure accommodation.

That’s the warning from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Accommodation for Students, UniHomes, and the Young Group as the Renters Rights Act enters the first phase of its implementation period.

The NRLA, along with its other signatories, warn that under this new timetable, student landlords will be unable to guarantee available homes for the next cohort of student tenants, which not only disrupts the student housing cycle, but also means that landlords cannot guarantee that their properties will be empty in time for their start date.

With the Renters Rights Act’s implementation date now confirmed, HMO student landlords who use the student possession ground (Ground 4A) shortly after May 1 (the start of the implementation period) will not be able to take back possession of their property until the first week of September, due to the four-month notice period required under Ground 4A.  

This implementation plan leaves a gap in which landlords cannot gain possession of their properties in time for August 2026, which is too late for incoming students, whose tenancies are set to start on September 1. 

This will undoubtedly worsen the existing crisis in student accommodation, with access to housing already a key concern for students. According to research by Knight Frank, 65% of university applicants say accommodation availability influences where they choose to study. 

Commenting on the decision, NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says: “The government has put opportunity and aspiration at risk with this decision. The failure to protect the annual cycle of all student housing will shut people out of higher education and make it harder for others to plan where they will live. 

“Limiting access to accommodation doesn’t just affect students. It will be of particular concern to many universities already facing difficult financial futures.”