Renters' Rights Act, five months in: what student landlords in Manchester need to know
The biggest change to private renting in a generation took effect on 1 May 2026. Here is what has actually changed for a student HMO in Fallowfield, Withington or Rusholme, and what still works the same.
What changed on 1 May 2026
Every assured shorthold tenancy in England, new or existing, became a periodic tenancy. There are no fixed terms any more: tenants can leave with two months' notice at any point, and landlords can only end a tenancy using one of the legal grounds. Section 21, the 'no-fault' notice, has gone.
Rent can be put up once a year, using the proper notice form with two months' warning, and tenants can challenge an increase at a tribunal. Asking for more than one month's rent in advance is no longer allowed, and neither is taking offers above the advertised rent.
The student rule: Ground 4A
Student landlords were worried that periodic tenancies would break the September cycle. Ground 4A is the answer. If a house is an HMO let to full-time students, the landlord can take it back each summer to re-let to the next group, as long as the tenants were told in writing before the tenancy began and at least four months' notice is given, with the house handed back between 1 June and 30 September.
The catch is the paperwork. The written notice has to be given before the tenancy starts, the house has to meet the definition of an HMO, and the notice periods have to be right. Miss one of those and the ground is not available for that year.
What has not changed
- Deposits are still capped at five weeks' rent and must be protected within 30 days.
- Gas safety, electrical safety and HMO licensing rules are the same as before.
- Rent arrears, antisocial behaviour and selling the house remain grounds for possession, each with its own notice period.
- Good houses in good locations still let early. The groups looking in November are the same groups as before.
Still to come
The Act also sets up a landlord database and a private rented sector ombudsman, extends the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals and brings in Awaab's Law on damp and mould. The government sets the dates for each of these, and we will update this article as they are confirmed.
What we do about it
Every tenancy we set up for our landlords includes the Ground 4A notice before the students sign, so the house can be re-let for the following September. If your house is managed elsewhere and you are not sure the notice was served, that is worth checking now rather than next summer.
Not sure where your house stands? Ask for a free management review and we will look at the paperwork with you. This article is a general summary, not legal advice.
