Codes of practice for the management of student accommodation

Introduction

The Welsh Government is proposing, subject to consultation, to amend the Housing (Approval of Codes of Management Practice) (Student Accommodation) (Wales) Order 2006 (2006 Order) to reflect the latest codes of practice for the management of student accommodation as published by ANUK/Unipol and UUK/Guild HE Accommodation. 

There is a duty for Welsh Ministers to consult before approving a new, or updated code of practice and if, following the consultation, the Welsh Ministers proceed they will make secondary legislation approving the codes. We are therefore, launching an eight-week consultation regarding the approval of the codes of practice.

The consultation will run from 02/07/2025 to 27/08/2025 

The consultation specifically seeks the views of persons involved in the management of student accommodation, students who occupy student accommodation, local authorities, and persons who represent the interests of students.

Background

Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) are buildings (or parts of buildings) occupied as a sole or main residence by more than two persons who do not form a single household. The Housing Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) introduced a licensing regime for HMO which is designed to raise the standards of such properties. 

The Act allows for certain HMO accommodation to be exempt from HMO licensing requirements, such accommodation is referred to as ‘excepted accommodation’. Certain buildings which are occupied solely or principally for the purpose of undertaking a full-time course of further or higher education may be excepted accommodation.  Legislation which has the effect of exempting specific HMO from the licensing requirements may be made by the Welsh Ministers having had regard to compliance, on the part of those with building management responsibilities, with approved codes of practice The Welsh Ministers have a power under the 2004 Act to, by order, approve codes of practice laying down standards of conduct and practice to be followed with regard to the management of HMO or of excepted accommodation.

The Welsh Ministers consider that maintaining standards in purpose-built student accommodation is more easily achieved through compliance with codes of practice designed specifically for such accommodation, rather than requiring local authorities to license them. This also reduces the regulatory burden on local authorities who would otherwise have to carry out inspections of those student properties.

Current situation

The Housing (Approval of Codes of Management Practice) (Student Accommodation) (Wales) Order 2006 approves two codes of practice:

UUK/Guild HE Principals Code of Practice for the Management of Student Housing (Wales) dated 16 May 2006 and the ANUK/Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Developments for Student Accommodation Managed and Controlled by Educational Establishments (Wales) dated 16 May 2006.

Neither of these codes of practice remain in existence and have been replaced by updated versions. 

The current ANUK/Unipol code of practice for educational establishments was published in September 2024 and a current version of the UUK/Guild HE Accommodation Code of Practice was published in March 2025. 

Consultation

The current codes of practice have been developed by independent organisations in conjunction with higher education establishments across the UK. Accommodation providers who sign up to the codes are managed and governed by the organisations who have developed the code.

The codes were widely consulted on during their development and as such the Welsh Minsters are not consulting on the content of the codes and are instead consulting on their proposal to approve them. Before the Welsh Ministers may approve a code of practice, or a modification of a code of practice they must take reasonable steps to consult persons involved in the management of houses in multiple occupation or (as the case may be) excepted accommodation of the kind in question, persons occupying such accommodation, or persons who represent the interests of those persons.

We are therefore launching an eight-week consultation exercise whereby we are seeking views on whether it is appropriate for the Welsh Ministers to approve the codes of practice which lay down standards of conduct and practice to be followed with regard to the management of student accommodation. 

See the current codes of practice:

Universities UK/GuildHE accommodation code of practice for student housing

The ANUK / National Code for accommodation owned or managed by educational establishments

How to respond

We would welcome your views on the Welsh Ministers’ proposal to approve the codes of practice by 27/08/2025. 

Please send any comments regarding the proposal to PrivateSectorHousing@gov.wales 

Or post to:

Private Rented Sector Team
Welsh Government 
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ