What Does the New Renters' Rights Bill Mean for Students?

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[Image Description] a house key being held beside a figure of a small house to the left with statistical percentages below. To the right hand side a calculator lies on the surface of a desk with a bank note sitting upright behind. 

For many students, October is a time to panic. Those in their first year are often told to look for houses as soon as possible before they all get taken. Along with this myth comes the complication of the new Renters' Rights Bill.

The bill was first introduced this summer and featured in Parliament on September 11th. By October 9th, the bill successfully passed its second reading in the House of Commons. The next step is the Committee Stage, where discussions and changes can be made to the proposed bill.

If this bill becomes law, it will allow students to end their contract at any time—as long as they give their landlord two months' notice. This new freedom gives renters the opportunity to challenge poor practices and unfair rent increases made by their landlord, without the fear of eviction.

This is particularly useful as many rent contracts aren’t tailored to students. Despite only being at university for an average of nine months a year (September to May), they still have to pay for a one-year contract. Therefore, this new bill would give students the chance to go home over the summer and cancel their contract to save money.

However, with many students unaware of this new bill being processed by the House of Commons, they are also unaware of how it may affect them.

The proposed bill states that if one person in a group tenancy ends their side of the contract, it could also end the tenancy for the rest of the household. Once this happens, it is up to the landlord to decide whether to allow the rest of the house to find someone to cover that person’s rent and occupy the vacant spot, or if the remaining tenants will split the rent among themselves. If not, the landlord could decide to end the tenancy for everyone.

This brings complications, especially for international students or those who may wish to stay in their university city over the summer, as they may have to find a new place to live.

Giorgia Caso, a student who has lived in a house in Cheltenham for the past two years with her friends, had never heard of the Renters' Rights Bill before. Upon learning about the latest update, she expressed concerns over the potential conflict it could cause.

She said, “As an international student myself, I don’t know where I’m going to be next year, and I would be tempted to take advantage of the option to go home. But at the same time, I’d be scared of the position it could leave others in if I decided to leave.”

As a way of resolving these conflicts, Giorgia said that in the future, when house hunting, she would sit down with her housemates to discuss what they could do if someone wanted to end the contract early.

Realistically though, not all households may be as organized or understanding. Many students live in shared houses with people they’ve never met before moving in, so the lack of friendship bonds might mean some tenants choose not to inform the rest of the house before giving their notice.

Image from Unsplash

[Image description] a wooden placard with white writing that states 'Room for Rent' below the sign is a red metal heart with small padlocks attatched all over it

Giorgia believes the best way to avoid conflicts and tension between housemates is to ensure that all students are aware of the new legal changes before they come into effect. This way, students will be prepared for the possibility that they may have to move out if someone else ends their tenancy. This is especially important considering how many students are completely unaware of the bill’s existence.

So, the real question is—will this new bill be an advantage or disadvantage for students? I guess we will only find out if or when the bill becomes law.

To hear more from the student perspective on this story, tune into our podcast 5 Minutes On... The Renters' Rights Bill.