🏠Give Students the Right to Leave: Respond to the PBSA Tenancy Consultation
Students deserve the same renting rights as everyone else. Have your say before 22 October 2026.
Right now, students living in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) are trapped by rules that don't apply to other renters. If a crisis hits and they need to leave their accommodation early, they have no legal right to end their contract. They could be forced to pay thousands in rent for a room they aren't living in, while other private renters can easily leave with just 28 days' notice.
This isn't fair, and it’s time to change it.
📢 The Opportunity
After relentless campaigning from the student movement, the Scottish Government is finally listening. They have launched an official consultation proposing that students be allowed to leave their accommodation with 28 days' notice under certain circumstances.
But we need your voice to make it happen.
🛑 Why We Need You Now
We know that some landlords, institutions, and accommodation providers will oppose these plans to protect their profits. If we want this to become law, the student voice must be louder than the landlords'.
We need to send a clear message to the Scottish Government:
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We support the change to allow students to leave PBSA.
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We believe students should have the right to leave with 28 days' notice regardless of the reason, just like anyone else.
Profits should never take priority over student housing rights.
✍️ How to Take Action
Whether you are an individual student, a Students' Union, or just a supporter for housing rights, responding takes just a few minutes.
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Step 1: Read the NUS Scotland Consultation Guidance to see our breakdown of how to respond to the 4 key questions.
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Step 2: Submit your response on the Scottish Government website before the deadline on 22 October 2026.
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Step 3: Let us know you responded by emailing [email protected] so we can track our movement's collective action.
