Student housing: do I still need to pay if I've left? (The Guardian) (7 May 2020)

Housing director Manjinder Kaur Atwal offers expert advice to university students who have been forced to leave their student accommodation or privately rented rooms empty as a result of university closures due to the government lockdown.She points out that the outbreak of Covid-19 is unlikely to prevent a tenancy from continuing. “If students have entered into a contract for a fixed period of time, which is yet to expire,” she explains “there may be a break clause allowing them to terminate the contract before the end of the fixed term, after providing the required notice. Students are advised to negotiate with their landlord immediately, as the obligation to pay their rent will continue in accordance with their contract, they could remain liable for any rent due up to the expiry of the notice period.”