Can I leave my housing contract early?

It’ll depend on who you’re renting from. Whether you rent from a landlord/agent, live with the house owner or live in university accommodation. If you’re not sure, ask us or use Shelter's tenancy checker.

If you live in University Accommodation…

You’ll need to find a replacement student to take your room or you’ll have to continue paying rent up until the end date. If you do find a replacement student, they can’t be from another university residence.

If you want to move to another room in your building or a different halls of residence, talk to your residence warden first of all. If you’ve been having trouble with your flatmates or other problems, they can help.

Or, if you’re finding the rent is too much, come and talk to LUU Advice who could look into financial support for you.

If you rent from a landlord or agent...

It will depend on what agreement you have signed and why you want to leave. First thing is to check what your contract says.

If your contract says you can give ‘notice to quit’ then follow what it says you need to do (e.g. how much notice you need to give, when your next and final rent is due). If your contract doesn’t allow notice to quit you will either need to find a replacement housemate or show that the owner has seriously breached the contract which means you need to move out. If you simply move out then the owner can take legal action against you for any outstanding rent payments.

If you are unsure or need any help just pop into LUU Advice before taking any steps to move out.

If you live with the owner of the property...

Check what is in your agreement, if there is a clause that allows you to give notice to move out early then you can end the contract early. If there are no clauses, then you are responsible for the rent for the full period, unless you find a replacement for your room.

If you don’t have a written agreement, then it depends on what was agreed verbally. This can be difficult for either party to prove so if you are unsure call into LUU Advice first.

There is more detailed information about different tenancy types on the Shelter website.