Students Win Breathing Space: Campaigner Secures Rule to Ease Freshers' Housing Rush

Campaigner forces change to give students more time to choose housemates

The annual scramble to find housemates and a place to live for the next academic year has long worried first-year students. Many freshers, still settling into university life, have felt pressured to commit quickly to joint tenancies with people they barely know just to guarantee a roof over their heads the following September.

Nathan Wyatt, 23, experienced this pressure first-hand as a Covid-era fresher at the University of East Anglia. With social opportunities curtailed by restrictions in 2020, he reluctantly agreed to a five-person tenancy after only a few weeks, paying £425 a month while often sleeping elsewhere — sometimes on a friend's floor and once overnight in the UEA library — because the household became unlivable.

“We felt so much pressure from landlords and estate agents to accept the property before we were ready,” he recalled. “When you first start university you're so panicked and so aware of the pressures to sign up for these things, so you do it.”

Believing the system was unfair, Mr Wyatt campaigned as a Students' Union welfare officer. He raised the issue with MPs and the Students' All-Party Parliamentary Group, working alongside national student bodies. The result: a rule in the Renters' Rights Act that prevents landlords from advertising properties to — or signing student tenancies with — students before 1 March in the year the tenancy begins.

What the change means

The amendment aims to give first-year students more time to form friendships and assess potential housemates before committing to a joint contract. The Renters' Rights Act is described by supporters as the most significant reform of renting in England for more than 30 years; it also includes reforms to fixed-term contracts, a ban on no-fault evictions and protections against excessive rent increases.

Reaction from students and landlords

UEA students welcomed the change. Final-year student Ryan Jackson said it would give freshers “more time, freedom and space to decide” where to live. Third-year student Priscilla Abu called the previous timetable stressful because houses can be snapped up quickly and prices can rise, while first-year environmental science student Fay Butler said extra time would help friendships settle before choosing a tenancy.

Landlords' representatives acknowledged the concerns but noted that booking early does suit some students. James Crickmore, a director of the Eastern Landlords Association, said early commitments can offer security for tenants seeking to lock down accommodation for the following year, though groups can still fall out during the year.

The change is intended to rebalance incentives so students are less likely to be rushed into long-term financial commitments with people they barely know. For Nathan Wyatt, the move represents a practical protection for future freshers so fewer students have to endure stressful or unsafe house-share situations simply because of early letting pressure.