It's Housing Week and we’re not naive to the fact that student rentals have a bit of a reputation—it’s a sad truth that most graduates have a tenancy horror story or two! Whilst you may gain your own precautionary tale, dealing with tenancy issues in the moment can be stressful and overwhelming. This blog is packed with advice to manage the potential issues of being a tenant.
We’re not naive to the fact that student rentals have a bit of a reputation—it’s a sad truth that most graduates have a tenancy horror story or two! Whilst you may gain your own precautionary tale, dealing with tenancy issues in the moment can be stressful and overwhelming. Whether it’s disputes with landlords, maintenance issues or problems with housemates, the Advice Centre is here to support you every step of the way.
Maintenance issues
Whilst your landlord is responsible for most repairs in your home, you also have a responsibility as a tenant to use your home in a ‘tenant-like manner’ and report any issues as soon as you become aware of them.
Once you have checked whether your landlord is responsible for addressing the issue, you should report the repair straight away. If you’re not sure how to report repairs, refer to your tenancy contract as this should detail the process. Where your property is managed by an agent, they may have their own reporting system or encourage you to reach out to them directly. Private landlords may also have a preferred method of communication; however, we would always advise that any correspondence happens in writing so that there are dated records of any repairs you have reported.
Your landlord should carry out repairs in a reasonable time frame from the date they are made aware of the issue. This timeframe is dependent on how urgent the issue is, how vulnerable the people living in the property are and what the landlord has to do to fix the problem.
If you have concerns that reported repairs are not being addressed, please contact the Advice Centre for support. You can also find some guidance on this HERE.
Health and Safety concerns
In more extreme (and hopefully less frequent) situations, maintenance issues may pose a risk to your health and render the home unfit for habitation. You should follow the same processes as above to report on the issue and highlight the urgency of the situation. Where the issue cannot be resolved with your landlord in a reasonable timeframe (bearing in mind any imminent risks to your health), you can contact us for support with securing emergency accommodation and liaising with those responsible for managing the property.
An advisor may make a recommendation that you complain to the Environmental Health team at your local council as they can instruct your landlord to do repairs or give them legal notice to carry out maintenance works. Please be advised that you must report the problem to your landlord first and allow them reasonable time to address the issue.
Disagreements with the Landlord/Managing agent
Recurrent maintenance issues, unpaid rent or other disagreements can cause the landlord-tenant relationship to become strained which unfortunately can increase the likelihood of you being issued with a section 21 eviction notice.
However, if your landlord or managing agent’s actions are interfering with your right to quiet enjoyment of your property, you may be experiencing harassment which is a criminal offence. Remember that you should always be given at least 24 hours' notice that your landlord wants access to the property (except in an emergency), and they must have your consent before visiting. If you have concerns about harassment, it’s important to keep a record of everything that’s occurred as this may need to be escalated to your local Council’s private sector housing team or, in more urgent situations where you’re at immediate risk, the police.
We understand that disputes with property management can cause a great deal of uncertainty and worry and, as students, we often hear that you don’t always feel that you’re taken seriously. Please do get in contact with us – we're here to help.
Problems with housemates
In an ideal world everyone would get on like a house on fire (figuratively of course – let's not have any house fires!). However, we’re all different, with varying standards and expectations when it comes to living conditions. Sometimes living in a confined space can fan the flames of even the smallest of frustrations. Even the closest of friends can find living together a challenge–hence the phrase, “You don’t really know someone until you live with them.”
Most shared student property contracts will state that all tenants are ‘jointly and severally liable’, meaning that you are all expected to perform the contract together and where there is breach of contract, the landlord can enforce the contract against you all.
Common issues with housemates include:
Unfortunately, in a joint tenancy, the landlord may go after the tenant in arrears OR the other tenants who ‘are’ paying the rent - a landlord will generally make a decision about who would be the easiest to pursue for unpaid rent. If rent is not paid, the landlord could decide to evict all of you. You can try to talk to the landlord about the situation as they may be sympathetic; however, we would encourage you to get in touch with us for guidance. Additionally, you can contact the Financial Wellbeing team at the university as they may be able to assist you with financial support or offer some guidance on budgeting/working out what you can afford for rent.
One way of avoiding this issue is to ensure that all tenants’ names appear on the utility bills as this means that everyone is equally liable for covering the costs. Where your name is on the bill and your housemates refuse to pay their share, you will be expected to cover the full amount, but you can always get in touch if you’re struggling.
Whilst it’s your right to have guests to stay in your home if you have an assured shorthold tenancy, it’s important to be considerate about how often you’re having guests to stay and to be mindful of noise/disturbance to other tenants. Guests must also comply with the terms of the tenancy contract and their behaviour whilst visiting the property is your responsibility. To avoid disputes, we would encourage you to have open conversations with your fellow tenants where you can discuss any concerns, familiarise yourself with each other’s preferences and establish boundaries.
Disputes with housemates may be difficult to resolve as you may not have the space and time away from each other to process what’s happened whilst you’re living in the same house. The Advice Centre offers mediation sessions which can be a space for all tenants to talk openly about what’s happened with the support of an advisor so that a shared understanding can be reached. Please send us an email if you think this could benefit you and your fellow tenants as we’d be happy to help.
Issues with neighbours
We hope that by following the university’s Be A Good Neighbour guidelines, you won’t experience any issues. However, the university has a dedicated community wellbeing team who can advise on fostering positive relationships in the community and ensuring you’re a good ambassador for the university. If you do find yourself involved in a dispute with neighbours, they can support you with finding an early, informal, and amicable resolution.
Leaving the contract early
Unfortunately, you are unlikely to be released from a tenancy contract unless you can source a replacement tenant and reach an agreement with your landlord as you are still liable for the rent until the contract end date. However, this does not mean that you have to continue to reside in the property if you are not comfortable as you cannot be forced to stay against your will.
An advisor can review your tenancy contract to see if it contains a break clause (a clause that lets you give notice to end your fixed term tenancy agreement early) and offer advice and guidance on next steps. We can also provide some resources to support you with finding a replacement tenant.
Don’t suffer in silence
Navigating an unhappy and unhealthy living situation can have a significant impact on both your mental wellbeing and academic performance so it’s important that you don’t face these challenges alone!
If you’re not sure where to turn, please reach out to an advisor for further guidance – we have a wide range of experience with all types of housing issues but if we’re not the best people to help you, we will point you in the right direction!