I can understand why they want only students to live there, but I've double-checked my contract law notes, and I can assure you I haven't breached the contract. The special condition was there to make sure only students could enter the contract, but I haven't breached anything in the tenancy agreement. I haven't breached the contract itself, I just don't fulfill that special condition anymore. Those are two different things. If I wasn't a student at the time, I wouldn't have been able to sign the contract in the first place. The fact that I'm not a student now is something no one could have predicted (including me) and I understand it makes the situation awkward for them, but it is a significant change for the contract. I think it's a simple case of frustration of the contract - something important after the contract was signed happened that was not the fault of either party, but that has an impact on the contract. Mine would be frustration from a non-occurrence of an event (i.e. me going to uni) which was essential to the contract. This, plus the fact that I signed the contract in good faith at the time, thinking I would have gone to uni, makes me believe I'd have a case. (The consequences of frustration are that the parties are relieved of their obligations and thus brings the contract to an end.)

I don't want to scam them or anything - I just don't want to pay £4,000 (which my dad would be paying and given the situation in Italy, he really can't afford to waste money like this) for a room that I'm not using. It wasn't my intention to put them in trouble, just like it wasn't my intention to leave uni at the time I signed the contract... but I just can't afford to pay so much money for, essentially, nothing.