Student Landlords: The New Rules on Advertising and Agreeing Tenancies

The Renters' Rights Act 2024 introduces two sets of rules that affect student landlords: new restrictions on how rental properties are advertised and how rent is agreed, and a new statutory possession ground — Ground 4A — for student HMOs. This article explains both, and why the distinction between advertising a property and entering into a tenancy agreement matters.

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Part A: General Advertising Rules

Written Adverts Must State a Specific Rent

Under the Renters' Rights Act, any written advertisement for a residential rental property must state a specific rent. It is not sufficient to advertise a property as "price on application" or to invite prospective tenants to make offers. The advert must name a figure.

This applies to all written rental advertisements, including those on property portals (Rightmove, Zoopla, SpareRoom), social media, letting agent websites, and any other written medium.

The Rental Bidding Prohibition

Landlords and letting agents are prohibited from:

- Inviting prospective tenants to offer more than the advertised rent

- Encouraging prospective tenants to offer more than the advertised rent

- Accepting an offer of more than the advertised rent

This is the rental bidding prohibition. It is designed to prevent the practice of advertising a property at a headline rent and then accepting the highest offer from competing applicants.

The prohibition applies to the landlord and to any letting agent acting on the landlord's behalf. A landlord cannot circumvent it by instructing an agent to run a bidding process.

What This Means in Practice

If you advertise a property at £1,200 per month, you must not accept an offer of £1,300 per month, even if a prospective tenant volunteers it. You must not tell applicants that there are other interested parties and invite them to increase their offer. You must not structure the application process in a way that encourages competitive bidding.

You can still choose between applicants on other grounds — references, employment, move-in date, suitability — but not on the basis of who offers the most rent.

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Part B: Student Tenancies and Ground 4A

What Is Ground 4A?

Ground 4A is a new mandatory possession ground introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2024, specifically for student HMOs. It allows a landlord to recover possession of a student HMO at the end of the academic year, so that the property can be re-let to a new cohort of students.

Ground 4A is a mandatory ground: if the conditions are met, the court must grant possession. The judge does not have a discretion to refuse.

Which Properties Does Ground 4A Apply To?

Ground 4A applies to a dwelling-house that is let as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) where all of the tenants are full-time students. It does not apply to:

- A property let to a single student (not an HMO)

- A property where one or more tenants is not a full-time student

- Purpose-built student accommodation that falls outside the assured tenancy regime (different rules may apply to purpose-built student accommodation — check the specific legal position for your property type)

The Conditions for Ground 4A

To rely on Ground 4A, the landlord must satisfy all of the following conditions:

1. Full-time students: All tenants must be full-time students at the date the notice is served and at the date of the hearing.

2. HMO: The property must be let as an HMO.

3. Prior written notice: Before the tenancy was entered into, the landlord must have given the tenant(s) written notice that possession might be recovered under Ground 4A. This notice must be given before the tenancy agreement is signed. A notice given after the tenancy has started does not satisfy this condition.

4. Intention to re-let to students: The landlord must intend to let the property to full-time students after recovering possession.

5. Possession window: The possession order must take effect between 1 June and 30 September in any year.

6. Notice period: The landlord must give at least four months' notice before the date possession is sought.

The Six-Month Rule

This is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — conditions for Ground 4A.

The condition is that the tenancy must not have been entered into more than six months before the tenant becomes entitled to occupy the property.

This is a condition about when the tenancy agreement is signed, not about when the property is advertised. Advertising a property more than six months before the tenancy start date does not, by itself, prevent a landlord from relying on Ground 4A. What matters is when the tenancy agreement is actually entered into.

Advertising and entering into a tenancy agreement are not the same thing. A landlord can advertise a student property in October for the following September without breaching the six-month rule, provided the tenancy agreement is not signed more than six months before the tenant is entitled to move in.

In practice, for a tenancy starting on 1 September, the tenancy agreement must not be signed before 1 March of the same year if the landlord wishes to preserve the ability to rely on Ground 4A.

The Possession Window

A possession order under Ground 4A can only take effect between 1 June and 30 September in any year. This aligns with the end of the academic year and the period when student properties are typically vacated.

The landlord must give at least four months' notice before the date possession is sought. For a possession date of 1 July, the notice must be served by 1 March at the latest.

What Happens if the Conditions Are Not Met?

If any of the conditions for Ground 4A are not met, the ground is not available. The landlord cannot rely on it, and the tenancy continues as an assured periodic tenancy. The landlord would need to rely on a different Section 8 ground to recover possession.

The most common reasons for Ground 4A failing are:

- The prior written notice was not given before the tenancy was entered into

- The tenancy agreement was signed more than six months before the tenant was entitled to occupy

- Not all tenants are full-time students

A Note on Purpose-Built Student Accommodation

Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) — such as halls of residence and purpose-built blocks managed by specialist operators — may fall outside the assured tenancy regime entirely, depending on the specific legal structure. If your property is purpose-built student accommodation, the rules described in this article may not apply in the same way. Take specialist legal advice on the position for your specific property.

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What Should I Do Now?

- Review all your rental advertisements to confirm they state a specific rent and do not invite or encourage offers above that figure.

- If you use a letting agent, confirm that their application process does not involve competitive bidding.

- If you let student HMOs and wish to rely on Ground 4A, check that you are giving the required prior written notice before each tenancy is entered into.

- Check the date on which each tenancy agreement is signed relative to the date the tenant is entitled to occupy — the gap must not exceed six months.

- Confirm that all tenants are full-time students at the time of serving the Ground 4A notice.

- If you let purpose-built student accommodation, take specialist legal advice on whether the assured tenancy regime applies to your property.

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*Information correct as at 23 September 2026. Always check the current GOV.UK position before acting.*