One in five agents (20%) say landlords are already pulling out of the student market, and another 10% say landlords are actively reconsidering, according to software provider Alto.
The Renters’ Rights Bill is scrapping fixed-term tenancies and replace them with open-ended, rolling contracts – a move that more than a third of agents (34%) say could blow up the student letting cycle altogether.
This is despite the House of Lords altering the bill to give student landlords more power to evict tenants.
Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, chief executive at Alto, said: “This is a sector built around predictability and the Renters’ Rights Bill rips that up.
“It’s not just landlords who lose. If student lets become unworkable, young people will have fewer affordable options and more uncertainty around their housing.”
Agents also warn that the reforms could unintentionally lead to rent increases, as landlords look to recover income lost to summer voids, meaning legislation brought in to protect tenants could actually cost them more.
Students in particular could be hit on both sides: many already face rising rents, and some don’t serve notice under rolling contracts, leaving them liable for extra costs.
The new academic intake begins in September, and agents are already grappling with early signs of trouble: 18% say landlords are bracing for summer voids that will gut income; 15% say admin and advertising workloads are rising fast; 12% say academic cycles no longer align with tenancies; and 11% warn it’s getting harder to re-let properties during off-peak months
And while some students are turning to Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), agents warn it’s no substitute for the thousands of flexible, affordable HMOs provided by independent landlords.