Landlords plan to delay renting their accommodation until later in the academic year after changes to UK legislation, in a move that could ease the pressure on students to snap up housing, polling suggests.
For years, it has been standard practice for students to start looking for next year’s housing only weeks into starting their university term.
But a survey by Accommodation for Students (AFS) shows landlord attitudes may be shifting in response to the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force earlier this year.
The poll of landlords and letting agents, responsible for approximately 7,400 student properties, found 45 per cent intend to delay marketing their accommodation.
This is in response to Ground 4A of the legislation, which holds that landlords can repossess properties at the end of the academic year – specifically between June and September – so they can prepare their housing for use by a subsequent cohort of students.
