Legislation – Renters’ Rights Act 2025

• “Ground 4A

  The following conditions are met—

  1. (a)

     the dwelling-house is in an HMO or is an HMO,

  2. (b)

     the tenant meets the student test when the tenancy is entered into,

  3. (c)

     the landlord or, in the case of joint landlords, at least one of them, gives the tenant, before the tenancy is entered into, a written statement of the landlord’s wish to be able to recover possession on the basis that—

     1. (i)

        the tenant meets the student test when the tenancy is entered into, and

     2. (ii)

        the landlord intends, on the next occasion on which the dwelling-house is let, to let it to a tenant who meets the student test when that new tenancy is entered into,

  4. (d)

     the period—

     1. (i)

        beginning with the day on which the tenancy was entered into, and

     2. (ii)

        ending with the day on which the tenant was entitled to possession of the dwelling-house,

     is six months or less,

  5. (e)

     the relevant date falls within the period beginning with 1 June and ending with 30 September in any year, and

  6. (f)

     the landlord seeking possession intends, on the next occasion on which the dwelling-house is let, to let it to a tenant who meets the student test when that new tenancy is entered into.

  For the purposes of the conditions in paragraphs (b), (c) and (f), a tenant meets the student test when a tenancy is entered into if—

  1. (a)

     the tenant is a full-time student at that time, or

  2. (b)

     at that time, the landlord reasonably believes that the tenant would become a full-time student during the tenancy.

  But, in a case where two or more persons are or would be the tenant, the tenant does not meet the student test unless all of those persons meet that test.

  In this ground, “full-time student” means a person receiving education provided by means of a full-time course—

  1. (a)

     of any description mentioned in Schedule 6 to the Education Reform Act 1988 provided by an institution in England or Wales;

  2. (b)

     of any description mentioned in section 38(2) of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 provided by an institution in Scotland;

  3. (c)

     of any description mentioned in Schedule 1 to the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/1772 (N.I. 15)) provided by an institution in Northern Ireland.

  In a case where, because of paragraph 8(7) of Schedule 1 to the 1988 Act, a tenancy becomes an assured tenancy, the condition in paragraph (c) of the first paragraph of this ground is met if the written statement referred to there is given within the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which the tenancy becomes an assured tenancy.”