Frequently Asked Questions - Renters' Rights Act 2025

Tenancy and Tenant – A ‘Tenancy’ is the legal agreement that you will sign which lays out the terms that you are entering into to rent a house. Within that agreement you will take the role of the ‘Tenant’, be you an individual or a group.

Guarantor – This is someone who lives in the UK who will sign an agreement to take on your financial responsibilities on the Tenancy if you fail to do so. Escape Campus limit the ‘Guarantors’ responsibility for rent to just the person on the tenancy agreement they are acting on behalf of, so not the whole group.

Joint and Several – If you sign one tenancy agreement as a group with Escape Campus you are likely to be entering into a contract on a ‘Joint and Several’ basis, which means you will all become the ‘Tenant’ jointly and have responsibility for each other, as well as for yourself. This could mean you having to take jointly responsibility for something like damage caused to the property or it’s contents or any overuse of energy, based on your contracted allowance.

Student Tenancy – A Student Tenancy is a term used within the RRA specifically to define a tenancy that can be ended using Ground 4A, which is further defined below. These are the list of things that constitute a Student Tenancy:

• All Tenant are full-time students – must be on a ‘recognised course’ but a degree, masters course or PhD would qualify as long as they are ‘full-time.’
• The property must be a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) – for the purpose of a typical student property in Lancaster that means one that can be occupied by three of more students in their own study bedroom
• The tenants must have been informed that possession of the property may be sought by the landlord using Ground 4A
• The landlord must intend to let the property to student tenants the following academic year
• The tenancy agreement can’t be ‘Entered Into’ (further defined below) earlier than six months before the move in date

Ground 4A – This is a ground for eviction within Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 which was added due to the RRA. When a tenancy is a Student Tenancy it allows a landlord to end it with four rent periods notice in the summer months at the end of the academic year. The specific dates between which the tenancy can be ended are 1^st June to 30^th September.

Move In Date – This is the first date of the Tenancy agreement and indicates the point at which the Tenant can move in to the property and start living there

Expected Move Out Date - Escape Campus landlords will let you know when they intend to end your tenancy with Ground 4A when the property is advertised, to help you plan, as well as reminding you during the sign up process and after the move out date. This Expected Move Out Date does not effect your rights within the RRA and does not seek to form a specific end date to the tenancy, but is simple to make sure you know what could happen if you were to still be living in the property towards the end of the academic year with a view to helping you plan things like where to live the following academic year or if you were looking for accommodation elsewhere having graduated.

Entered Into – This phrase is used extensively within the RRA. Our interpretation of its meaning within the Act is to define when a Tenancy agreement becomes a legally binding contract, indicated by it being signed and dated by both the Tenant and landlord.

Rent Period – This is a period that is covered by a specific amount of rent. Although there is a period if transition allowed with the RRA, during which Rent Periods agreed before the 1^st May 2026 will still have effect, any Tenancy Entered Into after that date can have Rent Periods on no longer than one month.

All tenants will have the right to pay rent monthly, when the Tenancy was Entered Into after the 1^st May 2026 however, recognising that this may not work for Student Tenancies, the Housing Minister has made it clear that students were free to choose to pay rent in a way that best suits themselves, which allows you to opt to pay rent when termly maintenances loan payments are made.

Up Front Rent – This is rent that is paid between the tenancy being ‘Entered Into’ and the Move In Date, which is the start date of the Tenancy. The RRA limits this to one Rent Period of rent. If a monthly payment schedule is opted for by a Tenant Escape Campus will ask for one months Up Front Rent on Entering Into the Tenancy.

Notice To Quit – This is a notice given to a landlord by Tenant to inform them that they wish to end a Tenancy. All tenants are able to end a Tenancy with two full Rent Periods Notice To Quit under the RRA.

As discussed about Student Tenancies above, landlords will be able to end Student Tenancies at the end of the academic year however any properties that, for example, aren’t HMOs that won’t be the case. In those circumstances Escape Campus will work with you to make sure you know you have done the right things to bring you Tenancy to an end on a date that suits your needs, so you don’t end up owing rent you either weren’t expecting or simply for a Tenancy that is no longer of use to you.

The RRA is new legislation that was introduced to amend the Housing Act 1988. The changes that have been brought in are many and varied, from updating rules around pets to changing how tenants are entitled to pay rent and when, as well as looking at legislating to improve rented property standards and how stable tenants feel that they will be able to remain in their homes long term. There are also elements of the legislation that won't immediately come into effect.

Initially, the information that has been produced to help tenants who are already tenants, or are about to start tenancies is available in the government guide 'The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.'

• The RRA was passed as law towards the end of 2025 however, for most scenarios, it comes into play from the 1st May 2026.

• All 2025/26 tenancies can continue as they have after the 1st May 2026 RRA implementation date
• All tenants will still be entitled to live in their properties until the end of the academic year
• You will be provided with the government guide, 'The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026' between 1st May 2026 and 31st May 2026.
• You will also be sent a notice that tells you that your landlord may use part of the new legislation, Ground 4A of Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, to end your tenancy over the summer months
• To do this, for the 2026 summer, your landlord will have to give you two months notice and that notice will expire between 1st July and 30th September 2026
• Escape Campus intend your notice to end on the same date your tenancy agreements original fixed term ends, so if you have made plans based on that date then you won't need to change those plans
• If you still owe rent then it should be paid in line with your tenancy agreement payment schedule

• All 2025/26 tenancies can continue as they have after the 1st May 2026 RRA implementation date
• All tenants will still be entitled to live in their properties until the end of the academic year
• You will be provided with the government guide, 'The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026' between 1st May 2026 and 31st May 2026
• Escape Campus will already have been in touch to talk to you about your future plans
• Where applicable we will issue you with a Section 21 Notice before 1st May on behalf of your landlord, which will intend to bring your current tenancy to an end on the date your original fixed term ended
• If we can't end your tenancy with a Section 21 Notice we will work with you to establish your plans and make sure you have provided the required Notice for when you do want your tenancy to end, so you don't end up missing the required dates and being liable for rent you hadn't intended to be
• If you owe any rent after the 1st May then it should be paid in line with your tenancy agreement payment schedule

• • All 2026/27 tenancies can continue as they are planned to after the 1st May 2026 RRA implementation date
  • All tenants will still be entitled to live in their properties from the tenancy start date until the end of the academic year
  • You will still be asked for rent in line with the rent schedule in your tenancy agreement
  • You will be provided with the government guide, 'The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026' between 1st May 2026 and 31st May 2026
  • You will also be sent a notice that tells you that your landlord may use part of the new legislation, Ground 4A of Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, to end your tenancy over the summer months
  • To do this, for the 2027 summer, your landlord will have to give you four months notice and that notice will expire between 1st July and 30th September 2027
  • Escape Campus intend your notice to end on the same date your tenancy agreements original fixed term ends, so if you have made plans based on that date then you won't need to change those plans

• All 2026/27 tenancies can continue as they have after the 1st May 2026 RRA implementation date
• All tenants will still be entitled to live in their properties from the tenancy start date until the end of the academic year
• You will be provided with the government guide, 'The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026' between 1st May 2026 and 31st May 2026
• You will still be asked for rent in line with the rent schedule in your tenancy agreement
• The 'fixed term' end date will no longer apply to your tenancy, the tenancy will have to end by Notice being given
• Escape Campus will work with you to establish your plans and make sure you have provided the required Notice for when you do want your tenancy to end, so you don't end up missing the required dates and being liable for rent you hadn't intended to be

• Your tenancy will have a start date but not an 'end date.'
• Your landlord will intend to use Ground 4A (please see Ground 4A section) to end your tenancy at the end of the academic year
• All tenancies will end in the summer months (June to September), if being ended with a Ground 4A notice
• We will have indicated an Expected Move Out Date on the property advert and during your signing up process. If your tenancy is ended with a Ground 4A Notice then it will be the landlord's intention for the Expected Move Out Date to be when that Notice expires and your tenancy ends
• If you have a UK Based Guarantor you may decide to choose to pay your rent using a Voluntary Payment Schedule which you are free to do if it best suits your needs. This will mean that there wouldn't be any up front rent and you'd be able to pay at the start of each academic term, in line with student finance dates.
• Voluntary Payment Schedule payments would be based on your tenancies start date and the Expected Move Out Date and be in three equal amounts, typically in October, January and April. Where you to leave the tenancy earlier than the Expected Move Out Date then any overpaid rent would be refunded to you
• As a Voluntary Payment Schedule involves paying the majority of you rent in arrears, you do require a UK Based Guarantor to do this
• You also have the option to pay your rent monthly, which you can elect do at the point of signing the tenancy or at any time during your tenancy. If you change from a Voluntary Payment Schedule to pay monthly mid-tenancy then any arrears would need to be paid up in full
• Without a UK Based Guarantor you will need to adopt a monthly payment schedule
• The monthly payment schedule will initially involve paying one months’ Up Front Rent, at the point the contract is Entered Into, which typically will be during the academic year before you more in. You would then pay monthly each month from the end of the first month after the tenancy start date, which will typically be in July or August

• • Your Tenancy will have a start date but not an 'end date.'
  • The Tenant will be entitled to live in their properties from the tenancy start date until the end of the academic year
  • Escape Campus will work with you to establish your plans and make sure you have provided the required Notice for when you do want your tenancy to end, so you don't end up missing the required dates and being liable for rent you hadn't intended to be

• Tenancy and Tenant – A ‘Tenancy’ is the legal agreement that you will sign which lays out the terms that you are entering into to rent a house. Within that agreement you will take the role of the ‘Tenant’, be you an individual or a group.

  Guarantor – This is someone who lives in the UK who will sign an agreement to take on your financial responsibilities on the Tenancy if you fail to do so. Escape Campus limit the ‘Guarantors’ responsibility for rent to just the person on the tenancy agreement they are acting on behalf of, so not the whole group.

  Joint and Several – If you sign one tenancy agreement as a group with Escape Campus you are likely to be entering into a contract on a ‘Joint and Several’ basis, which means you will all become the ‘Tenant’ jointly and have responsibility for each other, as well as for yourself. This could mean you having to take jointly responsibility for something like damage caused to the property or it’s contents or any overuse of energy, based on your contracted allowance.

  Student Tenancy – A Student Tenancy is a term used within the RRA specifically to define a tenancy that can be ended using Ground 4A, which is further defined below. These are the list of things that constitute a Student Tenancy:

  • All Tenant are full-time students – must be on a ‘recognised course’ but a degree, masters course or PhD would qualify as long as they are ‘full-time.’
  • The property must be a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) – for the purpose of a typical student property in Lancaster that means one that can be occupied by three of more students in their own study bedroom
  • The tenants must have been informed that possession of the property may be sought by the landlord using Ground 4A
  • The landlord must intend to let the property to student tenants the following academic year
  • The tenancy agreement can’t be ‘Entered Into’ (further defined below) earlier than six months before the move in date

  Ground 4A – This is a ground for eviction within Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 which was added due to the RRA. When a tenancy is a Student Tenancy it allows a landlord to end it with four rent periods notice in the summer months at the end of the academic year. The specific dates between which the tenancy can be ended are 1^st June to 30^th September.

  Move In Date – This is the first date of the Tenancy agreement and indicates the point at which the Tenant can move in to the property and start living there

  Expected Move Out Date - Escape Campus landlords will let you know when they intend to end your tenancy with Ground 4A when the property is advertised, to help you plan, as well as reminding you during the sign up process and after the move out date. This Expected Move Out Date does not effect your rights within the RRA and does not seek to form a specific end date to the tenancy, but is simple to make sure you know what could happen if you were to still be living in the property towards the end of the academic year with a view to helping you plan things like where to live the following academic year or if you were looking for accommodation elsewhere having graduated.

  Entered Into – This phrase is used extensively within the RRA. Our interpretation of its meaning within the Act is to define when a Tenancy agreement becomes a legally binding contract, indicated by it being signed and dated by both the Tenant and landlord.

  Rent Period – This is a period that is covered by a specific amount of rent. Although there is a period if transition allowed with the RRA, during which Rent Periods agreed before the 1^st May 2026 will still have effect, any Tenancy Entered Into after that date can have Rent Periods on no longer than one month.

  All tenants will have the right to pay rent monthly, when the Tenancy was Entered Into after the 1^st May 2026 however, recognising that this may not work for Student Tenancies, the Housing Minister has made it clear that students were free to choose to pay rent in a way that best suits themselves, which allows you to opt to pay rent when termly maintenances loan payments are made.

  Up Front Rent – This is rent that is paid between the tenancy being ‘Entered Into’ and the Move In Date, which is the start date of the Tenancy. The RRA limits this to one Rent Period of rent. If a monthly payment schedule is opted for by a Tenant Escape Campus will ask for one months Up Front Rent on Entering Into the Tenancy.

  Notice To Quit – This is a notice given to a landlord by Tenant to inform them that they wish to end a Tenancy. All tenants are able to end a Tenancy with two full Rent Periods Notice To Quit under the RRA.

  As discussed about Student Tenancies above, landlords will be able to end Student Tenancies at the end of the academic year however any properties that, for example, aren’t HMOs that won’t be the case. In those circumstances Escape Campus will work with you to make sure you know you have done the right things to bring you Tenancy to an end on a date that suits your needs, so you don’t end up owing rent you either weren’t expecting or simply for a Tenancy that is no longer of use to you.