#AskTDS: “If I rent to students, what would happen if they leave the tenancy when their course ends?”

This article has been written in response to a query: “If I rent to students, what would happen if they leave the tenancy when their course ends?”

When a student tenant vacates the property before the end of their tenancy, they are still liable for the rent. This will be up until the end date which is given in the tenancy agreement. There are instances where tenants may wish to leave early, but in these circumstances, they must get permission from their agent or landlord. Whether permission is granted is up to the agent/landlords. Usually, the agent or landlord will allow the tenancy to end early if they’re able to find another suitable tenant to take over the property.

In terms of returning the deposit, when the tenancy deposit is protected or held by TDS, neither party can request the return of the deposit (Custodial scheme) or end the protection (Insured scheme) until the tenancy has officially ended.

In cases of disputes, TDS will consider the date each party has claimed the tenancy ended, especially if the dispute is regarding rent arrears, and will require supporting evidence.

What about combined deposits?

As previously explored in our blog “We are letting our property to four tenants – do they pay the deposit separately or together?”, you may have instances where you have tenants that have paid a combined deposit.  If one of these tenants takes the decision to vacate the property early, for instance when their course ends rather than the end date of the tenancy, they will remain equally responsible for any deductions from the deposit even if the property was in good order when they vacated.

One student may leave the property and fully clean the property, including communal areas before they leave.  If the remaining tenants then go on to leave the property in an unclean condition, the tenants will remain jointly and severally liable.  The relevant deductions will then be made from the deposit as a whole.

About TDS

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is part of The Dispute Service (TDS), the largest tenancy deposit protection (by value) and resolution service provider in the UK making life easier for tens of thousands of agents, landlords, developers, and millions of tenants and homebuyers.

Our award-winning customer service is highly rated on both Trustpilot and Google, and we’re backed by the NRLA. We offer free deposit protection in our Custodial scheme, and the lowest rates for landlords in our Insured scheme.