Student tenancy or campus contract: what is the difference?

1. Recognise the three main arrangements

In an ordinary tenancy, student status is mainly a characteristic of the occupant. A campus contract reserves accommodation for students and can provide an additional termination ground when you leave that group. A permitted ordinary fixed-term student tenancy instead has an agreed expiry date and its own rules.

Identify the arrangement named and whether the other clauses match it. The official tenancy types explain the distinction. Campus in an advertisement or student room in a heading does not establish every condition.

2. Read the campus contract’s designated use

Look for student designation, information about enrolment and the intention to relet to a student. These give concrete starting points for assessing the statutory regime. A landlord’s preference for students differs from a properly established legal arrangement.

Keep the version supplied at commencement. A designated-group clause added years later deserves separate assessment. Ask what a new declaration requires you to acknowledge before signing. An administrative update can have substantive consequences.

3. Check fixed terms from 1 July 2024 carefully

Indefinite tenancies have been the general rule since that date. The existing student exception concerns students temporarily renting for study in a municipality different from the one where they live. Check the temporary letting conditions and circumstances at conclusion. Student status does not justify every fixed term.

Keep study details, previous residence and the reason for the temporary move. Assess transitional rules for older agreements. Offering a new one-year contract to everyone does not remove the need to identify the statutory basis for your particular case.

4. Treat legislative plans as proposals

In July 2026, consultation began on a bill including wider temporary student tenancy possibilities. The official announcement identifies proposed legislation. An intention, consultation or desired implementation date does not itself amend your agreement.

If someone invokes new rules, ask about actual commencement and transitional provisions. This avoids treating a future arrangement as justification for a current end date. Assess the agreement against rules that genuinely apply to its date and circumstances.

5. Respond to enrolment evidence requests

Check the information requested and its statutory or contractual basis. Supply appropriate evidence and retain transmission records. A student card may show different information from an official enrolment statement. Ask for clarification if the period or course requested does not fit your circumstances.

Do not ignore a check on the assumption the landlord already knows. Equally, ask questions about unclear conclusions concerning your status. Record when study ended, changed or paused. This timeline supports focused advice.

6. Graduation and a gap year require different facts

Leaving the designated group can support notice under a campus contract. It is not equivalent to automatic expiry on graduation day. A gap year, further course, doctoral programme or changed enrolment can require separate assessment within the relevant group definition.

Ask why the landlord considers you no longer within the group. Collect educational evidence and respond to that specific assertion. Inventing continued study or ticking an inaccurate declaration weakens the file. Actual circumstances and the applicable regime must match.

7. Examine termination and departure documents

Protected designated-group tenancies require the appropriate statutory termination route. Keep the notice, receipt date and stated ground. A judicial decision may be needed if you do not consent. Sign a departure declaration only after understanding the rights affected.

A valid ordinary fixed-term student tenancy ends differently, with the required notification potentially decisive. Read expiry of a temporary tenancy rather than treating all student agreements identically. Obtain advice early when the departure date is approaching.

8. Check the price despite the temporary life stage

Students also need separate basic rent and service charges. Use the official room points check for non-self-contained accommodation. Self-contained student housing requires another calculation. Record shared facilities and user numbers.

A short study period is not a reason to accept every price. The initial rent assessment deadline can pass quickly. Distinguish points-based rent, service charges, furniture and deposit. A deposit paid by parents remains a separate payment requiring evidence.

9. Confirm departure and replacement arrangements

On lawful departure, obtain confirmation of the end date, inspection and key handover. Introducing a candidate from your student association does not automatically end your agreement. Joint tenancy can have different consequences from an individual room contract. Record who continues and whether you are released from shared obligations.

• Tenancy type and designated-group clause read
• Conclusion date and relevant exception checked
• Enrolment and changes evidenced
• Notice or expiry notification assessed under correct route
• Room points, service charges and deposit checked separately