The short answer: for the July 2027 intake, Headingley and Hyde Park student houses start going in early October 2026, and the best 4 and 5 bed houses are almost entirely gone by mid-February. Anything after Easter is either brand new to the market, or a house you'd want to view carefully.
October to mid-December is when the highest-spec Headingley houses (St Anne's Road, Bennett Road, Otley Road) get let. Landlords tend to offer them first to the current tenants from October, then release what's left. If you already know your group, this is the window where you get the pick.
January to mid-February is Hyde Park's busiest month. Brudenell Road, Cardigan Road, Ash Grove and Chestnut Avenue all move quickly here. This is also when Burley and Woodhouse move — the price advantage means those get quieter groups snapping them up early.
From mid-February onwards it's mostly whatever's left, plus a trickle of houses that fell through. Prices don't really drop in March and April — landlords hold — so waiting rarely saves money, it just narrows the choice.
The best advice: agree your group in October, agree a rough budget per person per week, decide between Headingley (higher spec, higher rent) and Hyde Park (bigger houses, more social), and then book two or three viewings in the same afternoon in November or January.