《租客权利法案》于5月生效，被形容为一代人以来英格兰租客权益的最大变革，为数百万向私人房东租房的人提供了更多稳定性和保障。
When the Renters' Rights Act came into force in May it was described as the biggest change for tenants in England in a generation, giving more stability and security to the millions of people who rent from private landlords.
该立法也引发了学生租赁市场的震荡，给房东带来了挑战，因为它允许租客退租，而不必被绑定整个学年。
The legislation has also prompted a shake-up of the student rental market, which has posed challenges for landlords as it allows people to leave a tenancy rather than being tied in for the full academic year.
埃迪·利弗在埃克塞特大学读完第一年后，决定这门课程不适合他。
Eddie Lever had finished his first year at the University of Exeter when he decided the course wasn't for him.
这位20岁的学生想转去约克大学学习国际关系，但已经为下一学年安排好了房子。租约已签署并已生效。
The 20-year-old wanted to switch to studying international relations at the University of York but had already organised his house for the upcoming year. The tenancy was signed and had started.
但由于《租客权利法案》的变化，埃迪只需提前两个月通知，即可搬离并停止支付租金。
But because of changes in the Renters' Rights Act, Eddie only had to give two months' notice before he could leave and stop paying rent.
该立法终结了固定期限租约——即租客被绑定在为期特定月数的合同中。对学生而言，此前合同通常为整个学年。
The legislation ended fixed-term tenancies - where renters are tied in to contracts for a specific number of months. For students, previously contracts were generally for the full academic year.
取而代之的是，房产现在按滚动方式出租，意味着租客按周或按月支付租金，没有固定的结束日期。
Instead, properties are now rented on a rolling basis, which means tenants pay rent weekly or monthly with no fixed end date.
大学自营宿舍和专门建设的学生公寓（Purpose-Built Student Accommodation）豁免于此，仍可提供固定期限合同，因此这一变化主要影响向私人房东租房的学生。
University-owned halls of residence and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation are exempt and can still offer fixed-term contracts so this change primarily affects students renting from a private landlord.
埃迪解释说：“如果没有《租客权利法案》，我想我无法转学，因为我会被锁定在整个[学年]合同里。那将让我负担不起。”由于他签署的是联合租约，他的退租导致整栋房子的租约终止。
"If the Renters' Rights Act wasn't a thing, I don't think I would have been able to move universities because I would have been locked into the full [year] contract," Eddie explains. "It would have made it unaffordable." As he was signed up to a joint tenancy, when he left it ended the tenancy for the whole house.
幸运的是，埃迪有一位正在找房的朋友能够接手他的房间，这样他的室友们就能签署新的租约。
Fortunately, Eddie had a friend who was looking for a room who was able to take his place so his housemates could sign a new tenancy.
他承认，如果没有人能接手他的房间，对室友们来说情况会更困难。
He acknowledges the situation would have been more difficult for his housemates if there wasn't someone who could take his room.
然而，埃迪认为，对学生而言，这种风险值得承担，因为其带来的好处更大。
However, Eddie thinks the benefits for students are worth this risk.
他说：“如果你和室友闹翻了，或者你决定不想上大学了，被锁定在一份整个学期的合同里，在经济上可能会非常吃力。”
"If you were to fall out with your flatmates or if you decide that university is not for you, being locked into a full-term contract can be really prohibitive financially," he says.
“所以，如果没有这种灵活性，人们真的可能会被锁定在自己不一定想身处的境地中。”全国学生联合会高等教育副主席刘易斯·威尔逊表示，这种灵活性意味着学生还可以通过暑假搬回家来节省房租。
"So without that flexibility, people can really be locked into situations that they don't necessarily want to be in." Lewis Wilson, vice president for higher education at the National Union of Students, says this flexibility means students can also save money on rent by moving home for the summer.
过去，许多学生租房合同会延续到课程结束后的夏天，而现在学生可以选择如果想走，更早搬出去。
While previously, many student rental contracts ran into the summer after courses had finished, students can now choose to move out earlier if they want.
威尔逊说，学生还受益于该法案更广泛的变革，该法案禁止英格兰的房东在没有理由的情况下驱逐租客。
Wilson says students also benefit from wider changes in the act, which bans landlords in England from evicting tenants without a reason.
活动人士认为，这让租客拥有更大的安全感和信心去要求维修，而不必担心如果提出担忧会被驱逐。
Campaigners argue this gives renters greater security and confidence to ask for repairs, without fearing they could be evicted if they raise concerns.
然而，学生拥有更大的退租灵活性，也意味着房东面临的不确定性更大。
However, greater flexibility for students to leave tenancies also means less certainty for landlords.
该法案确实引入了一个特定理由，允许房东在学年结束时驱逐一群学生，前提是他们打算将房产再次出租给学生。
The act did introduce a specific ground for landlords to evict a group of students at the end of the academic year if they intend to re-let the property to students.
全国住宅房东协会首席政策官克里斯·诺里斯表示，对学生房东而言，更大的问题是租客选择更早搬走。
Chris Norris, chief policy officer at the National Residential Landlords Association, says the bigger problem for student landlords is if their tenants choose to move out earlier.
他认为，与不太可能在短短几个月后就想搬走的家庭相比，这对学生来说是一个更大的风险——学生可能会和室友闹翻，或者退学。
He argues this is a bigger risk for students - who may fall out with their housemates or drop out of university - than, for example, families, who are less likely to want to move out after just a few months.
诺里斯表示，固定期限租约的终结意味着，学生公寓在课程结束后的暑假——甚至更早——可能会空置。
Norris says the end of fixed-term tenancies means student houses could be left empty over the summer after courses finish - or even earlier.
他补充说，现在学生房东想把房子只出租几个月变得更难了，因为他们不知道租客会住多久，也无法保证房子在秋季还能再次出租给学生。
He adds that it is now more difficult for student landlords to rent a house for just a few months as they don't know how long the tenants will stay and can't guarantee it will be available for students again in the autumn.
诺里斯表示，新立法还处于早期阶段，许多房东把今年当作一个测试，看看这些问题在实际操作中会如何发展。
Norris says it's early days for the new legislation and many landlords are taking this year as a test to see how these issues play out in practice.
不过，他警告说，有些房东可能会选择提高月租金，以弥补房产在夏季空置的风险。
However, he warns that some may choose to increase the monthly rent they charge to cover the risk of their properties being empty over the summer.
他说，在某些情况下，房东甚至可能卖掉房产或不再出租给学生，从而减少供应并推高价格。
In some cases, he says landlords may even sell up or stop renting to students, reducing supply and pushing up prices.
在诺里奇将三套合租房出租给学生的苏·劳斯对这些变化感到担忧。
Sue Lawes, who rents three shared houses to students in Norwich, is worried about the changes.
虽然苏说她不想涨价，但如果她的房子因为学生决定在期末考试后结束租约而在夏季空置，她说她可能不得不涨价。
While Sue says she doesn't want to put up her prices, if her houses end up being empty over the summer because students decide to end their tenancy after their final exams she says she may have to.
她已经将租约开始时间从9月提前到了8月，以试图降低这种风险。
She has already brought forward the start of her tenancy agreements to August instead of September to try and reduce the risks of this.
然而，她说如果租客在年初就搬走，她将难以获利，同时还要承担房产空置时的抵押贷款、市政税和公用事业固定费用等成本。
However, she says if her tenants move out earlier in the year she would struggle to make a profit, whilst covering costs including her mortgage, council tax and utility standing charges when the properties are empty.
她认为，更高的月租金意味着学生面临更高的前期成本，而那些选择在夏季继续租住的学生总体成本也会更高。
She argues higher monthly rents would mean bigger upfront costs for students and higher overall costs for those who do choose to carry on renting over the summer.
苏强调，她支持该立法旨在给予租客更大保障的目标，如果房东不进行维修，学生应该能够搬走。
Sue stresses that she supports the aim of the legislation to give tenants greater security and that students should be able to move out if their landlord is not carrying out repairs.
但她希望允许房东根据学年向学生提供固定期限合同，以避免房产在夏季空置。“房东将发现非常、非常难以承受那些空置期，”她说。“房东会涨价，学生将买单。”
But she wants landlords to be allowed to offer fixed-term contracts to students in line with the academic year to avoid properties being left empty over the summer. "Landlords are going to find it very, very hard to absorb those void periods," she says. "Landlords will put prices up and students are going to pay."
