Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he is providing to (a) landlords and (b) letting agencies who rent private accommodation to students who will move out of term-time accommodation due to the covid-19 outbreak.

We have published guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities. Landlords or letting agencies who rent private accommodation to students must continue to comply with existing legislation including, in the case of some shared accommodation, specific Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing rules. (See here: https://www.gov.uk/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence.)

During this period, landlord, letting agency and tenant obligations have not changed and tenants remain liable for rent. Some universities and private accommodation providers have chosen to release students from their contracts early and not charge rent for students returning home. However, in the case of private landlords and letting agencies, the negotiation of rent waivers with student tenants is a matter between the parties concerned. We encourage landlords, letting agencies and tenants to adopt a pragmatic, common-sense approach to issues that may arise in the current circumstances.