If you’ve decided to leave your student accommodation before the end of your tenancy agreement, you’ll probably have to find a replacement tenant. Otherwise, you might be stuck paying rent for somewhere you’re no longer living!
There’s a whole heap of reasons why students might need to leave their accommodation part way through the academic year, from moving universities to a fall out with housemates. In this guide, we’ll answer all your questions about leaving your student accommodation early and how to find a replacement student tenant.
What’s a replacement student tenant?
A replacement student tenant is a student who takes over another student’s tenancy agreement after they have left.
The replacement tenant will have the same rights and responsibilities as the original tenant, and their tenancy agreement will end on the same date as the original agreement.
Can you leave your tenancy agreement early?
If you want to leave or swap university accommodation, your landlord must let you leave your tenancy agreement early (officially called ‘surrendering your tenancy’). This is the case whether you live in university-owned halls of residence or privately-rented student accommodation.
The first step should always be to talk to your landlord. Explain the reasons why you’re planning on leaving. If there are extenuating circumstances, your landlord may agree to end the agreement early without you having to find a replacement. However, most landlords will ask you to find a suitable replacement before ending the tenancy. If not, you’ll have to continue paying rent until the contract ends, even if you’re not living there.
It’s important to remember that no landlord is legally required to end your tenancy agreement early. Even if there are extenuating circumstances and you’ve found a replacement tenant, the landlord can still refuse.
Citizens Advice has a handy guide on moving out of student halls early that is a useful place to get started.
Whose responsibility is it to find a replacement tenant?
If you want to leave your tenancy early, you’ll be responsible for finding a replacement tenant for a tenancy takeover. This includes advertising your room and communicating with potential tenants. However, some landlords are willing to help or even take over the process entirely.
5 tips on finding a replacement student tenant
You should aim to find a replacement tenant as fast as possible because you’ll have to continue paying rent until they sign a new tenancy agreement. It’s important to remember that you’ll have to continue to pay even if you’ve already moved out of your room. Here are some of our top tips on how to find a replacement student tenant quickly and easily.1. Advertise for free
The first step should always be to advertise your room. You could place a free ad on Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, or Spare Room.
Online university notice boards or student housing Facebook groups can also be great places to find replacement tenants for a tenancy takeover.
2. Include as much information as possible
You should include as much information about the room as possible.
Include details such as:
- Type of accommodation
- Size of the room
- Rent
- If bills are included
- Location
- Distance/time to university and city centre
- Age and gender of your housemates
- Your contact information
3. Use word of mouth
Don’t rely solely on online ads. Ask your friends, course mates and work colleagues if they know anyone looking for a room.
4. Talk to your landlord
If you’re struggling to find a replacement tenant, try talking to your landlord about your situation and reasons for leaving. They might be sympathetic and agree to release you early or help you find a replacement.
5. Check your contract carefully
Have a look at your tenancy agreement and check what it says about leaving the agreement early. There might be a break clause that allows you to leave early if you give enough notice or if you need to leave because of specific circumstances.
What happens if you can’t find a replacement? (And who’s liable for rent payments?)
If you’ve tried everything and still haven’t found a replacement, or if your landlord has rejected the replacement you’ve found, you might be wondering what happens next.
Unfortunately, if your landlord doesn’t agree to release you from your tenancy, you have a contractual obligation to pay rent until the end of your tenancy. If you can’t pay, the landlord might seek payments from your guarantor (usually a parent) instead.
All tenants are jointly liable for rent payment if you’ve signed a joint tenancy agreement. So, if you can’t pay, the landlord could try to charge your old housemates for the rest of the rent.
How Split the Bills can help
Navigating student tenancy agreements can be incredibly confusing, and finding a replacement tenant can feel like a never-ending process. Things only get more complex when you realise that you set up one of the house’s utility bills, and the direct debit is still coming out of your own account.
This is where Split the Bills comes in. We’re a bill-splitting service that can help you budget better by simplifying your household bills.
We set up utility accounts and manage direct debits so you don’t have to. All the bills are split equally among your housemates—all you have to do is pay one single bill each month.
So, if something goes wrong and you need to leave, transferring your share of the bills over to your replacement tenant is simple. Plus, finding a tenancy takeover will be easier, as you can advertise that you’re already using our bill-splitting service!
If you want more information about Split the Bills, you can find out more about how we work or get in touch with our friendly team.
Electricity. Gas. Broadband. Water. TV Licence.
Want to find out more?
Interested in splitting your student household bills rather than splitting up friendships? Check out Split the Bills now and make life easier for everyone in your shared student house.
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