Assured tenancy

Some tenancy agreements include clauses that allow you to end the tenancy early if certain conditions are met. For example, if you leave your course, or do not achieve the required grades

These clauses are often subject to strict conditions, so it's important to review your agreement and any cancellation policy carefully.

You can advertise a room or whole property online to find replacement tenants. If you find a replacement before the commencement of the tenancy and they take over for the full tenancy length, then you would not have any liability for the rent.

If you find a replacement for part of the tenancy term, then you will be liable up until the date of the takeover.

All tenants and the landlord would need to mutually agree to this and sign a new tenancy agreement with the new tenant for this to take effect.

Landlords/Agents are also permitted to charge a fee of up to £50 to process the tenancy takeover.

A mutual surrender is an agreement between you (and any joint tenants) and the landlord to end the tenancy early.

The landlord/agent can charge reasonable costs as set out in the Tenant Fees Act. These costs are usually capped at the amount of rent they would otherwise be entitled to (see below).

You may wish to contact the landlord to explain your situation and ask whether they would consider this option. Depending on the situation, you may not want to offer the full rent value for the notice period if you do choose this option.

When negotiating, you should consider how this could benefit the landlord

• They can re-let the property sooner
• Depending on the time of year, it may allow them to keep the property in line with the student letting cycle (June-September).

You should consider whether the landlord/agent has met their legal obligations. Failure to do so can result in substantial fines, so any issues here may strengthen your position. Please see the links below and let the SU Advice team know if you believe any of this may apply to you.

• Unfair trading practices
• Renters' Rights Act Breaches
• Has your deposit been protected

If you cannot come to an arrangement that all parties agree to, then you will have the option to end the tenancy.

From 1 May 2026, all private sector assured became periodic tenancies and can no longer have fixed terms. Any term in the tenancy agreement stating the fixed term of the contract will have no legal effect.

You can end the tenancy with 2 months' notice by serving a valid "notice to quit".

Please be aware that this will end the tenancy for all joint tenants, so please speak to your housemates, if you have any, to make them aware of this.

For the notice to be valid, it will need to be

• Sent on or after the start date of the tenancy
• In writing, this can be in any form e.g. by email, text or letter
• The end date of the notice must be at the end of a rent period 2 or more months in the future

Under the new Renter's Rights Act, a rental period cannot be more than a month. If you pay monthly instalments (or shorter), this period should be the same as your rent payment dates. If you agreed to pay rent in advance instalments, rent periods are set on the same day of the month that your tenancy started at.

If you are not sure on the date it is important that you include a saving clause within the notice to quit, to ensure that it is valid. Our template includes this wording.

Notice to Quit

Hi [Landlord, Letting Agent, or Management Company name],

I am writing to give formal notice to quit the property at: [your full rental address].

In accordance with my tenancy agreement and legal requirements, I am providing 2 months' notice.

My tenancy will therefore end on [proposed end date - usually the end of a rental period], or on the day when a complete period of my tenancy ends next after 2 months from the day this notice is served.

Please let me know arrangements for returning keys and any steps needed to ensure the return of my deposit.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best wishes,
[Your name]

Please note that if the landlord attempts to enforce the fixed term contract, this may result in a fine of up to £7,000 from the local authority. The SU Advice team are happy to discuss how you can raise this if it is relevant to your situation.

If you have any questions about how this may apply to your specific circumstances, or you would like further advice on following the steps set out please send over a copy of your tenancy agreement, any other relevant documents, and any emails that you have exchanged with your landlord so far, along with a summary of your concern.

A landlord must rely on one or more statutory grounds for possession set out in the Housing Act 1988.

• Mandatory grounds: If the landlord proves the ground, the court will usually have to make a possession order.
• Discretionary grounds: The landlord must prove the ground applies, and the court must also be satisfied that it is reasonable to evict you.

Some common grounds include:

The landlord is no longer intending to rent out the property

The following are mandatory grounds for eviction where the landlord is planning to move in, sell or redevelop the property:

• Ground 1: Landlord or close family intends to move in.
• Ground 1A: Landlord intends to sell the property.
• Ground 2: Mortgage lender needs to sell it.
• Ground 6: Landlord intends to demolish or substantially redevelop it.

Generally, they will have to give you 4 months’ notice for these grounds. If you are concerned about finding somewhere else to live, or you believe that they are not being honest about the reason, please get in contact with the advice service.

Rent Arrears

Ground 8 (mandatory) applies where rent arrears have reached the required threshold of 3 months’ rent arrears or more.

Landlords often rely on Ground 10 (some rent arrears) and Ground 11 (persistent late payment of rent) as well. These are discretionary grounds, meaning the court must consider whether it is reasonable to evict you.

Seek advice immediately if you are struggling with rent payments. Reducing arrears before a hearing can sometimes affect the outcome of a possession claim.

Anti-social behaviour

Ground 14 may be used where a tenant, a member of their household, or a visitor has caused nuisance, annoyance, or engaged in anti-social behaviour. The court will consider the evidence and whether eviction is reasonable.

More serious cases may involve Ground 7A, which covers certain serious criminal or anti-social behaviour and can lead to mandatory possession.

Student-specific summer eviction (Ground 4A)

Landlords can evict students using Ground 4A (mandatory) at the end of the academic year, so they're able to continue to let the property to students in the future.

This ground can only be used if:

• The tenancy was signed less than 6 months before the date of the tenancy start date.
• The landlord reasonably believes that all the tenants will be full-time students for the academic year at the point the tenancy is entered into.
• The property is a HMO, or is part of a HMO - a property with 3 or more bedrooms let to unrelated adults.
• The landlord gives you 4 months' notice of the date they will apply for eviction - the notice period must end between 1 June and 30 September.

If you stay after this date, the landlord cannot remove you from the property or change the locks, they will need to apply to court for eviction.

The landlord needs to serve the notice on the correct form (Tenancy form 3A) and this needs to be completed correctly including the grounds and correct notice.

Depending on the ground the landlord will have to give between 2 weeks and 4 months’ notice.

They will also need to apply for a court order within a specified timeframe.

If the landlord fails to follow the correct steps, this will be an illegal eviction under the Protection From Eviction Act 1988.

Contact the advice service if you would like an adviser to check in if the notice is valid.

Landlords cannot legally change the locks, remove your belongings, cut off utilities, threaten or harass you to leave. Doing so without following the proper legal channels is a criminal offense under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 If you do not leave when a notice expires, the landlord must apply to the County Court for a formal possession order and subsequently a bailiff's warrant to enforce eviction. They cannot remove you themselves; this would be considered an “Illegal eviction” and can be prosecuted by the Local Council.

If you have been told that you need to leave your property and the correct process has not been followed, or the landlord has taken action to force you to leave, please get in contact with the SU advice service immediately. We will work with you and the council to ensure that you are not illegally removed from the property and look at support options if this has happened to you.

A valid notice to quit served by one joint tenant legally ends the entire periodic tenancy for all tenants, meaning that if you remain in the property after the end of the notice, you no longer have a valid tenancy agreement.

If you remain you are considered an "unauthorised occupier" (a trespasser in civil law), the landlord does not need to serve a section 8 notice, as the tenancy has already been ended.

However, as you entered the tenancy legally you are not a criminal squatter, so the landlord does still need to get a court order for possession.

• When did you first raise it?
• Who did you speak to?
• What steps were taken by the company (if any)?
• Was a resolution proposed?
• Why are you not satisfied with this?
• What would you like as a resolution?

• Have any terms of the tenancy been broken? State which ones and how.
• Have any laws or regulations been broken?

• Any emails discussing the issue (make sure that it includes the time and date as well as the sender and recipient)
• Photographs of damage or other issues
• Relevant policy and procedure that have not been followed
• Relevant laws, regulations or guidelines that have been breached