When the music stops in May and the students pack up early, who’s left to foot the bill? For decades, fixed terms gave landlords and agents the security of knowing properties would stay occupied until Summer. But with the Renters’ Rights Bill scrapping fixed tenancies, the student lettings sector is bracing for a summer of empty rooms and unpaid rent.
It’s a worry that feels all too real. There is now clear evidence of falling numbers across higher education. According to HESA, overall enrolments dropped by around 1 per cent in 2023/24 compared to the previous year, while first-year entrants fell by roughly 3%. It might sound modest, but it marks the first reversal after years of growth – a sign that student demand is softening just as landlord confidence is being shaken. Fewer students and more flexible tenancies make for an uneasy mix.
The biggest concern is voids. If tenants leave as soon as exams finish in May, properties could sit empty for ten to twelve weeks. For landlords with mortgages, that’s a painful financial hit. For agents, it’s unhappy clients and a scramble to re-let in what has always been a tightly timed academic cycle.
Within the private student housing sector, there’s been talk of spreading twelve months’ rent over ten months. On paper, it sounds like a clever fix. In practice, it risks inflating monthly rents at a time when students are already stretched. Parents, often footing the bill, are unlikely to welcome higher payments. Adding to the frustration is the fact that the Renters’ Rights Bill won’t apply to purpose-built student accommodation. While PBSA operators keep the certainty of fixed terms, landlords in the private rented sector are left to weather the storm of increased churn and longer voids.
For those letting room by room, the impact could be even sharper. The predicted flexibility of tenancies will almost certainly translate into more frequent turnover and extended empty periods.
So, what can we learn from Scotland? Fixed terms were abolished north of the border back in 2017. The adjustment wasn’t painless, but the market didn’t collapse. High-quality, well-located properties continued to let quickly, while the tired and poorly maintained ones were left behind. Agents adapted by marketing more flexibly, working with universities, and filling rooms throughout the year instead of relying on one short letting season. Standards rose – and survival favoured those who moved fastest.
For now, we can probably continue operating as normal for the 2025/26 academic year while the Renters’ Rights Bill waits for Royal Assent and an official implementation date. But we must be talking to landlords now to keep them informed and prepared. Any tenancies signed before implementation will likely need a Ground 4A notice served to tenants, along with new prescribed paperwork — meaning a wave of additional admin for agents, especially those managing large portfolios. The workload is coming, and the agents who plan ahead will handle the transition far more smoothly.
In England, we need to accept that October marketing campaigns for the following September are history. The new rules cap tenancy sign-ups at six months before move-in, forcing a complete rethink of how and when we market student homes. Agents need to start conversations with landlords now, helping them prepare for a different rhythm of risk and return.
Student lettings have always been a cornerstone of the private rented sector. But survival now depends on agility. The days of relying on fixed terms to protect income are over. The agents who adapt – by raising standards, rethinking pricing, and reshaping strategy – will thrive. Those who don’t risk being left with a portfolio of empty houses by summer. And unless there’s a levelling of the playing field between PBSA and the private rented sector, the imbalance will only deepen. If purpose-built providers keep their fixed terms while the rest of us face rolling tenancies, the gap between the two markets will widen – and that’s a problem the sector can’t afford to ignore.
Sophie Lang is co-founder of Lang Llewellyn & Co.
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