A group named SAPRS – Student Accredited Private Rental Sector – has warned that a bill passed by the Labour government recently will have a negative effect on the availability and affordability of student accommodation across the UK.
What is the bill?
The Renters Rights Bill, approved by the relatively new Labour government in January 2025, has as one of its objectives to end fixed-term tenancy agreements for private student housing. This means that in principle, it will no longer be possible to have fixed term rental agreements which align with student term times, meaning students could pay far more in rental agreements for properties which they simply don’t need for part of the time.
Worsening an existing problem
In fact, there are already several problems which are affecting the student housing market – including the fact that there’s a considerable shortfall in the amount of student accommodation available versus the number of students who need somewhere to live. Numerous landlords up and down the nation are already unwilling to let to students – arguably because of the short term nature of student letting – meaning some housing stock is out of bounds already to people studying in further or higher education.
Universities UK is an organisation which seeks to represent universities and their students; they have already responded to the Renters Rights Bill via a statement and have expressed their concern over it impacting the supply of suitable student accommodation that’s available, according to their website.
What can students do?
At the moment, there’s no need to make any changes. The best advice is always to choose any accommodation through a reputable estate agent to ensure you are fully supported in selecting your accommodation and entering into a contract. For student accommodation Exeter, for example, an agency such as https://www.exeteruniversityaccommodation.co.uk/ can offer tailored advice on finding accommodation to suit you.
Meanwhile, groups like SAPRS continue to lobby in favour of students to make sure they are treated fairly during their time in higher education.
