Ground 4 requires a court to award possession when, the tenancy is for a fixed term of not more than 12 months, and during the 12 months prior to the start of the tenancy the accommodation was a student letting that is excluded from being an assured tenancy.
	Under the Housing Act 1988, the court will not grant possession on Ground 4 if the landlord did not give notice in writing to the tenant before the start of the tenancy that possession might be recovered on this ground. Replacement provisions under section 12 of this Act will mean that landlords will be required to include notice in the mandatory written statement of terms that possession might be recovered using this ground, but the court will not be prevented from awarding possession if the landlord failed to comply.
Example: Letting student accommodation to non-students
Some universities let accommodation to non-students during academic holidays, e.g., to conference guests during the summer. The ground allows them to do this whilst guaranteeing that those short-term visitors or tenants can be evicted if needed to house incoming students.
Schedules Schedule 1: Changes to grounds for possession Amendments of Ground 4: student accommodation Background