Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on independent students who require accommodation between June and September.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such assessment.
The Renters’ Rights Act introduces a new mandatory ground which will allow landlords renting HMOs to full-time students who occupy on either joint or individual tenancy agreements to seek possession ahead of each new academic year, facilitating the ongoing yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies.
Students living in one or two bed (non-HMO) properties will have the same security of tenure as tenants in the wider private rented sector.
As is the case now, we would encourage students who wish to remain in their accommodation over summer to discuss with their landlords.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the quality of student accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is improving the quality of student accommodation by overhauling the regulation of the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The Bill will provide tenants, including students, with greater security and stability and empower them to challenge bad practice. This change will help increase flexibility and prevent students in the private rented sector from being trapped paying rent for substandard properties – assured periodic tenancies will incentivise timely repairs and better standards.
For purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), only providers signed up to approved government codes will be exempt from the assured system. Quality in private PBSA is safeguarded through government-approved codes of practice, administered by ANUK/UNIPOL, which set rigorous standards for safety, maintenance, and student wellbeing.
Asked by: Katie White (Labour - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Bill on student housing (a) supply and (b) affordability in Leeds North West.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the high rental costs experienced by many students living in the private rented sector in Leeds North West and across the country.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will take practical steps to empower tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases, with all rent increases taking place via an existing statutory process. Tenants who receive a rent increase that they feel is not representative of the market value will be able to challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal. This will prevent unscrupulous landlords using rent increases as a backdoor means of eviction, while ensuring rents can be increased to reflect market rates.
The Bill will prohibit a landlord or letting agents from inviting, encouraging or any payment of rent before a tenancy has been entered into. In addition, a landlord will only be able to require up to one month's rent in the window between a tenancy agreement being signed and that tenancy beginning. Once the tenancy starts, landlords will be unable to enforce any terms in a tenancy agreement that require rent to be paid in advance of agreed due dates.
The Bill will also prohibit rental bidding practices.
The proposed new ground for possession (Ground 4A) in the Bill is intended to facilitate the maintenance of the annual cycle of student letting for most typical students, namely groups of full-time students living together in Houses in Multiple Occupancy.
Less typical students who may require greater security of tenure, for example postgraduate couples who have put down roots in their area, will be able to enjoy the benefits of the new tenancy system the Bill introduces.
The Renters’ Rights Bill Impact Assessment looked across the package of reforms and received a ‘green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, meaning it is ‘fit for purpose’.
The government does not expect the Bill to have a destabilising effect on the robust student rental market. We will continue to work with good landlords and their representative associations throughout implementation.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Ground 4A in the Renters’ Rights Bill on landlords who rent (a) one and (b) two-bedroom properties to students.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The proposed new ground for possession (Ground 4A) in the Renters’ Rights Bill is intended to facilitate the maintenance of the annual cycle of student letting for most typical students, namely groups of full-time students living together in Houses in Multiple Occupancy.
Less typical students who may require greater security of tenure, for example postgraduate couples who have put down roots in their area, will be able to enjoy the benefits of the new tenancy system the Bill introduces.
The Renters’ Rights Bill Impact Assessment looked across the package of reforms and received a ‘green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, meaning it is ‘fit for purpose’.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Renter's Rights Bill do not negatively impact students from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) other devolved nations renting accommodation in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All tenants renting privately in England, including students, will benefit from the protections in the Renters’ Rights Bill, wherever they are from.
The abolition of section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will end chronic insecurity in the private rented sector, and the abolition of fixed term tenancies will enable tenants to leave tenancies by giving two months’ notice, ending the injustice of being trapped paying rent for substandard properties or unable to respond to their changing circumstances.
We recognise the cyclical nature of the student lettings market, which is why the Bill introduces a new mandatory ground for possession which will allow landlords renting Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) to full time students in England to seek possession ahead of each new academic year, facilitating the ongoing yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies and ensuring there is a supply of properties for incoming groups of students.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the end of fixed term tenancies on student accommodation in the private rented sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We want all tenants renting privately, including students, to benefit from the increased security and flexibility the Renters’ Rights Bill will provide.
Students will benefit from the removal of fixed term tenancies. Fixed terms mean that renters are obliged to pay rent regardless of whether a property is up to standard, and they reduce renters’ flexibility to move when they need to. The government is clear that there is no place for fixed terms in the future assured tenancy system.
To facilitate the yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies, the Bill introduces a new ground for possession which will allow landlords renting to full-time students in Houses of Multiple Occupation to seek possession ahead of each new academic year.
The department has engaged with a range of stakeholders in the student accommodation market and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) regulations and (b) enforcement mechanisms to hold landlords accountable for non-compliance with housing standards in the student sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to improving housing quality for students and will apply a Decent Homes Standard (DHS) to the private rented sector (PRS) for the first time to ensure homes are safe, secure and hazard free. This will include homes let to students on assured tenancies. The Renters’ Rights Bill is the means by which this will be done.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will also provide local authorities with effective enforcement powers for the DHS. Where a local authority serves a notice and the landlord fails to make the necessary improvements to meet the DHS, the local authority will be able to prosecute the landlord or alternatively impose on them a financial penalty of up to £40,000 – the proceeds of which it must use for future PRS enforcement action. Tenants (and local authorities, where any rent has been paid via Universal Credit) will also be able to take direct action in such instances by pursuing a rent repayment order, meaning the responsible landlord will need to pay the tenant (or local authority) up to two years’ rent.
The Bill will exempt Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) from the assured tenancy system if the landlord is signed up to a government approved code of management practice. Such accommodation will therefore not be subject to the DHS, but landlords will need to meet rigorous standards set by the codes which are tailored to the needs of PBSA. This includes maintaining the safety of the accommodation, ensuring the property is well-managed and making sure there is an effective working relationship between tenants and managers. Members of the codes must also have robust procedures in place for handling complaints and remedying issues raised by students. Failure to meet these standards will result in membership being terminated, meaning the property will then be subject to the DHS.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received representations on the potential effect of proposed private renters legislation on the student accommodation market, and what steps her Department has taken to support that market.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Bill introduces a new mandatory ground which will allow landlords renting Houses of Multiple Occupation to full time students to seek possession ahead of each new academic year, facilitating the ongoing yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies while ensuring students can benefit from the increased security and flexibility our reforms will create. The department has engaged with a range of stakeholders in the student accommodation market and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of foreign students at universities on the (a) availability and (b) affordability of private rented sector accommodation in England.
Answered by Jacob Young
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of increases in energy prices on university students living in private rented accommodation.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2021/22 suggests that a third of students live in privately rented accommodation with friends. Over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25, the government will have provided support worth £104 billion to help families throughout the UK with the cost of living including to meet increased household energy costs. This will have eased the pressure on family budgets and so will in turn enabled many families to provide additional support to their children in higher education to help them meet increased living costs.
Students in private rented accommodation who are provided energy through a commercial entity may also benefit from the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS), which provides a baseline discount on energy bills for non-domestic users locked into high fixed price tariffs. Any non-domestic user who benefits from the EBDS must ensure the benefit is passed through to the end user, such as students in private rented accommodation.
More information on students’ expenditure on housing can be found in the 2021/22 Student Income and Expenditure Survey which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.