Student HMOs: Have You Served Your Ground 4A Notice Yet?

easternlandlords
14 hours ago
2 min read

If you let to students in HMOs, there’s an important deadline creeping up that many landlords are still missing.

If you intend to use Ground 4A in future, you need to act NOW.

Why 31st May Matters

Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Ground 4A (the student HMO possession ground) will only be available if you have served the required written statement BEFORE the tenancy is in place.

For existing tenancies and renewals rolling into the new system, that effectively means:

You should be serving your Ground 4A written statement before 31st May
Especially if you want to retain control of possession for the next academic cycle

Miss this… and you could lose one of the few remaining reliable routes to recover possession from a student let at the end of term.

What Is Ground 4A?

Ground 4A allows you to regain possession where:

The property is an HMO, and
You intend to relet to another group of students, and
Your tenants meet the “student test”

It’s effectively your “next cohort” protection—but only if you’ve served the notice correctly.

For a PDF version click below:

For a word version click below:

The Bit People Are Getting Wrong

This isn’t something you can fix later.

You cannot:

Add it halfway through the tenancy
Serve it once things go wrong
Or rely on “they know they’re students”

If it’s not served properly at the outset, you won’t be able to rely on it.

Don’t Forget the RRA Information Sheet

While you’re issuing the Ground 4A statement, there’s another key requirement landlords need to tick off:

The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet

This must also be:

Given to tenants at the right time
In the correct format
Alongside your tenancy documentation

Failing to provide this could:

Undermine your ability to take possession action
Create compliance risks down the line

What Should You Be Doing This Week?

If you have student tenants:

Review all current and upcoming tenancies

Serve the Ground 4A Written Statement where applicable

Issue the RRA Information Sheet at the same time

Keep clear proof of service

Serve separately to everyone named on the tenancy!

Final Thought

The Renters’ Rights Act is removing a lot of the flexibility landlords relied on.

Ground 4A is one of the few tools left for student HMOs

but only if you’ve done the paperwork properly and on time.