Unite Students 2025/26 tenancy — can we leave early under the Renters' Rights Act 2025? [England]
Hey everyone, I've been looking into whether students in Unite Students accommodation can leave early this summer under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Sharing what I've found and would love to hear if others are in the same situation.
The key legal position:
From 1 May 2026, all existing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) automatically convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs) under Sections 146–147 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Once converted, tenants can give two months' written notice to leave at any time.
Does the PBSA exemption block this?
No — and this is the most common misconception. The PBSA exemption under Section 32 only applies to tenancies granted after 1 May 2026. Our 2025/26 tenancies were signed before that date and fall entirely outside the exemption. The House of Lords confirmed this explicitly during debates.
What about the rent refund?
Rent paid beyond the termination date should be recoverable on grounds of unjust enrichment, failure of basis, and under clause 4.3 of the Unite T&Cs themselves.
The tricky bit — termination date:
The exact termination date is debatable. If you give notice on 1 May, two months later is 1 July — but the common law rule (preserved by paragraph 204 of the RRA Explanatory Notes) says notice must expire at the end of a rent period. The applicable rent period after conversion is unclear — monthly from 1 May (giving 1 July) or anchored to the original start date (giving 20 September anniversary dates). This is genuinely unresolved.
Questions for the thread:
- Has anyone already contacted Unite about this?
- Has anyone received the statutory Information Sheet that Unite must send all existing tenants by 31 May 2026?
- Is anyone else planning to serve notice on 1 May?