Moving Out of a London Student Let at the End of the Year

The busiest week in a student’s life is the end of the academic year. In London, that's also the busiest week for anyone moving out too. This year, nearly nine in ten of the London move-out jobs we got were for dates between June and September. That’s when the academic year ends. We’ve seen the “We’re all students” in many of these requests.

Moving out of a student let isn’t the same as moving out of any other rental. Typically, four or five people share the deposit, and they’re about to spread across the country. Sometimes, the last exam is the same week as the handover. Some housemates have already moved out; the remaining ones have to handle the cleaning, the bins, and the key handover. Since May 2026, new rules apply to when a student tenancy can end. This guide explains what’s specific, how to handle it, and how to get the deposit back before everyone else is already on holiday. Want somebody else to tackle the cleaning? One clean for the whole house is usually the simplest answer.

Halls, private student blocks and shared houses

Start by figuring out which type of student home you’re in. Rules vary across them.

University halls and purpose-built student accommodation. If you live in university halls or a private block built for students, your agreement typically doesn’t fall under the Renters' Rights Act. The NRLA explains that it doesn’t include university-owned accommodation and purpose-built student accommodation. According to the GOV.UK guide for tenants, different rules apply to halls of residence. In practical terms, your lease still runs on a fixed end date. Plus, the operator conducts its own check-out process to its own cleaning standard. Read the move-out instructions you receive. Typically, they’re very specific about what’s inspected.

A shared house or flat let privately to students. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies in England have become rolling periodic tenancies with no end date. You only need to give your landlord two months' written notice. You must pay until it ends. Students in private lets have to comply too.

However, students have one exception. Under a new possession ground, often known as ground 4A, the landlord of a multiple-occupancy student house can give notice to take back the property for the next academic year. According to the NRLA, they can only give notice between 1 June and 30 September; it's a four-month notice period. Also, the landlord must have told the tenants at the start of the tenancy that the ground might be used. GOV.UK sees it as a ground that may allow landlords to evict students who don't vacate when the academic year ends. Does your tenancy agreement include it? It sets out when you must leave, so read it carefully.

Moving out as a group

If your house is on a joint tenancy, each of you appears on one agreement, and you share one deposit. Whether the group wants it or not, the move-out becomes a group project.

Agree on the date before anyone gives notice. With a joint tenancy, if one tenant gets a notice, everyone else on the agreement can be affected. So, when it happens, address it as a house first. Not sure how it affects your tenancy? Before writing anything, take it to the university's accommodation or housing advice service.

Agree who's there at the end. On handover day, the last place you want to be is being the last in the house. You have the keys and three rooms that aren’t yours to be cleaned. Early on, decide who will participate in the check-out and who will handle the shared kitchen, bathroom, and hallway. Read our guide to moving out of a shared house to discover the fairest way to split the work.

Agree how the deposit comes back. When several people share a deposit, a grimy oven will be deducted from everyone’s share. Sometimes, houses agree upfront that the deduction will be from whoever's room or job it was. Others prefer hiring professional cleaners for the entire house and split the bill equally. That leaves one less reason to argue.

Exams, graduations and the last week

Cleaning the house at the end of the summer term isn’t ideal. May and June bring exams and deadlines, graduations and goodbyes afterwards, and many students go back home right after their last exam. Cleaned fortnightly year-round, the kitchen doesn’t get any cleaner.

Separating the move from the clean is the easiest way to go through this:

• Pack and move your own things first. Cleaning a room with boxes and furniture in it is difficult and less efficient.
• Fix one day for the clean, after the last person has moved out. Even if it’s done after you’ve returned home, we can clean while you’re not in.
• Leave the keys where they're needed. Leave the keys to the agent, the landlord or a housemate who hasn’t left yet. Give us instructions on where to pick up and return the keys after we clean.
• Keep the power and hot water on. Close the energy account after we clean; we need running power and hot water to clean.

What gets checked in a student house

A year of shared living shows mostly on specific spots, so check-outs in student houses typically scrutinise those:

• The kitchen. The oven, the hob, and the extractor after several people cooked all year; the inside of the fridge and freezer, which are seldom empty at move-out; and the cupboards, shelf by shelf.
• The bathroom. The taps, shower screen, and showerhead show limescale deposits, while the sealant has mould. London has hard water, so when four people share the same bathroom every day, limescale builds up quickly.
• The bedrooms. Walls have marks from posters and furniture. We clean the carpet under the bed and the desk, and the inside of wardrobes and drawers.
• The carpets. In a shared house, carpets take the most beating. Nearly a third of all the London move-out bookings include carpet cleaning. When booked with the clean, clients pay 40% of the standard price.
• The bins and the garden. Tenants get charged for leaving rubbish behind in the house, the bins or the garden. Know your bin collection day. If you leave furniture behind, book the council's bulky waste collection well in advance.

Our national guide to student move-out cleaning takes a detailed look at each of these.

Getting the shared deposit back

With a private rental, the landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme. Under the government's deposit protection rules, the landlord must return the deposit amount you agreed to within 10 days. The scheme's free dispute service resolves the dispute when you disagree on the deposit amount. Most disputes arise because of cleaning. In the 12 months to March 2025, according to the NRLA, it was an issue in 54% of the cases that went to formal adjudication with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

The following things speed up the return of a shared deposit:

1. Evidence on the day. Once the place is empty and clean, take timestamped photos and a short video of every room. Share them with everyone in the group.
2. One point of contact. Agree who will deal with the agent about the deposit; inform the agent about your decision.
3. Paperwork for the clean. Our professional cleaning ends with a signed checklist, an invoice and before-and-after photos. Send them all to the agent. If something falls short, send us photos within seven days. We’ll return and re-clean for free.

Timing the move in a London summer

Students vacate right when everyone else in London moves out. Between June and September, everyone involved in a move-out (councils' parking teams, removal vans and cleaners) sees their busiest days. The earlier you book, the better your chances of getting your preferred date. Does your family bring a car or van to get your things? Before the day, check the parking rules on your street. Here's how bay suspensions and red routes work. Are you in the centre? Remember that every vehicle pays the £18 Congestion Charge between 7 am and 6 pm.

Plan the summer move week by week, starting with the parking and the clean.

Leaving your student house?

Our guide to moving out of a rental anywhere in London covers everything that changes across the city. That’s where to start. Does the house decide to have the clean handled in one go? Here’s what's included in one clean for the whole house.