Codes of practice for the management of student accommodation

Consultation on the proposal for the Welsh Ministers to approve the latest codes of practice for the management of student accommodation, published by Accreditation Network UK (ANUK)/Unipol and UUK/GuildHE Accommodation, the code body established by Universities UK and GuildHE, and administered by Professional HE Services Limited (PHES).

1. The Welsh Government is proposing, subject to this consultation, to approve the new codes of practice for the management of student accommodation, as published by Accreditation Network UK (ANUK)/Unipol and UUK/GuildHE Accommodation, listed below.
    
2. The Welsh Ministers are required to consult before approving new codes of practice (see Consultation below). If the outcome of the consultation supports the approval of the latest codes of practice, the Welsh Ministers will make secondary legislation, under powers in section 233 of the Housing Act 2004 (the 2004 Act), approving the codes. We are therefore launching an eight-week consultation regarding the approval of the codes of practice.
    
3. The consultation will run from 30 July until 24 September 2026.
    
4. The consultation is open to anyone who may wish to consider and respond, but may be of particular interest to persons involved in the management of student accommodation, students who occupy student accommodation, local authorities, and persons who represent the interests of students or the interests of those who manage student accommodation.

5. Houses in 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 2004 Act introduced a licensing regime for HMOs, overseen by local authorities, which is designed to raise the standards of management of such properties. 
    
6. The 2004 Act allows certain accommodation to be exempt from the 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 at a specified educational establishment may be excepted accommodation. That accommodation will be excepted from the HMO licensing regime if the educational establishment in question is specified in regulations made by the Welsh Ministers and the person managing or controlling the building is either that same educational establishment or another person specified in regulations made by the Welsh Ministers.
    
7. When deciding whether to make legislation of that kind, the Welsh Ministers may have regard to the extent to which the management of those buildings complies with codes of practice approved by the Welsh Ministers. 
    
8. The Welsh Ministers have a power under section 233 of 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 HMOs or of excepted accommodation.
    
9. The Welsh Ministers consider that maintaining the standards of management of 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.

10. The Housing (Approval of Codes of Management Practice) (Student Accommodation) (Wales) Order 2006 (the 2006 Order) approved the following three codes of practice:

    a) the Universities UK/Standing Conference of Principals Code of Practice for the Management of Student Housing (Wales), dated 16 May 2006;

    b) the Accreditation Network UK/Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Developments for Student Accommodation Managed and Controlled by Educational Establishments (Wales), dated 16 May 2006; and

    c) the Accreditation Network UK/Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Developments for Student Accommodation Not Managed and Controlled by Educational Establishments (Wales), dated 16 May 2006.

11. The three codes of practice listed above have been replaced by newer versions (see below). The updated codes modernise the standards expected of student accommodation providers and strengthen protections and service expectations for student residents, without fundamentally changing the categories of accommodation covered by the 2006 approval framework.
     
12. This consultation asks whether the Welsh Ministers should approve the replacement codes and, if so, update the Housing (Approval of Codes of Management Practice) (Student Accommodation) (Wales) Order 2006 accordingly.
     

13. These codes of practice approved by the 2006 Order are no longer in force, having been replaced by:

    a) Universities UK/Guild HE Accommodation Code of Practice for Student Housing, dated March 2025;

    b) ANUK / Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Residential Developments - for student accommodation managed and controlled by educational establishments, dated September 2024

    c) The ANUK/Unipol Code of Standards for Larger Developments – for student accommodation NOT managed and controlled by educational establishments, dated February 2026

14. This consultation seeks views on whether the Welsh Ministers should approve the three codes listed above in place of the codes approved by the 2006 Order which are no longer in force.
     
15. The codes of practice listed above, which are proposed for approval, 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 codes.
     
16. The three proposed 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. 
     
17. Before the Welsh Ministers may approve a code of practice, they must take reasonable steps to consult persons involved in the management of HMOs or (as the case may be) excepted accommodation of the kind in question and persons occupying such accommodation, or persons who represent the interests of those persons. Therefore, this consultation is being brought to the attention of those groups in particular via email.
     
18. This eight-week consultation exercise seeks views on whether it is appropriate for the Welsh Ministers to approve these three codes of practice which lay down standards of conduct and practice to be followed with regard to the management of student accommodation. 
     
19. Links to the three codes of practice that are proposed for approval by the Welsh Ministers can be found above.

Question

20. Do you agree with the Welsh Ministers’ proposal to approve the three codes of practice listed above? (yes/no). 
     

How to respond

21. Submit your comments by 17.00 on Friday 25 September 2026., in any of the following ways:

• Complete our online form
• Download, complete our response form and email: PrivateSectorHousing@gov.wales 
• Download, complete our response form and post to:
  
  Housing Affordability Team
  Housing and Regeneration
  Welsh Government 
  Cathays Park
  Cardiff
  CF10 3NQ

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