Beware of the perils of student renting

Students in the dark over letting laws leading to homelessness and debt

Broken boilers, landlords turning up unannounced and unfairly withheld deposits; these situations are none too familiar to students.

Alarmingly, new research from Community Legal Service Direct has revealed that these are just some of the issues that two thirds of the UK renting population, or 9.6 million renters, don’t realise they can put a stop to.

With house prices soaring, 45% of full-time students rent privately and yet 63% of tenants in the UK are unable to name any of their basic statutory rights. This can lead to serious consequences from legal battles to homelessness and debt.

A significant proportion of private rental tenants in the UK are students and young people. They are among the most financially vulnerable groups in society and are often at the whim of unscrupulous landlords. ”

Community Legal Service Direct runs a free and confidential advice service (paid for by Legal Aid) for people on a lower income or benefits, such as students, which people can use by calling 0845 345 4 345 or visiting www.clsdirect.org.uk. Community Legal Service Direct found that 85% of renters in the UK have never received professional advice even though one in five people (21%) admits to having had a problem with a landlord.

The free advice service is calling on students experiencing difficulties to pick up the phone to call 0845 345 4 345 and prevent manageable problems from spiralling out of control.

Ama Uzowuru, NUS Vice-President (Welfare) said:
“A significant proportion of private rental tenants in the UK are students and young people. They are among the most financially vulnerable groups in society and are often at the whim of unscrupulous landlords.

“NUS receives many horror stories about the way in which bad landlords have trampled on the rights of tenants. Community Legal Service Direct is an incredibly useful, free service, and we encourage anyone who is encountering problems to contact them for legal advice.”

Other key findings from the survey are as follows:
•€€€€€€€€ When asked to name their rights, just three per cent of tenants mentioned that the landlord is only entitled to keep their deposit if they can prove that the property has been mistreated
•€€€€€€€€ Only one in five renters highlighted that a landlord must serve notice on a tenant if they wish them to leave
•€€€€€€€€ 86% did not mention that landlords must keep the building in good condition, maintaining gas, electricity, water and heating equipment
•€€€€€€€€ A landlord’s failure to do maintenance and repair work was found to be the most common cause of disputes, cited by 56% of renters
•€€€€€€€€ One in four (24%) of those who reported having fallen out with a landlord had attributed the dispute to rent or deposits.

John Sirodcar, Head of Community Legal Service Direct, commented: “It is alarming that many tenants are fighting their own battles rather than seeking professional advice when encountering problems, particularly when free advice is just a phone call away.

“We would urge anyone experiencing major difficulties with their landlord to call our helpline on 0845 345 4 345. 95% of those we help are satisfied and more than 98% say they will recommend us. When expert help is at hand why struggle alone?”

Top tips from Community Legal Service Direct advisers on preventing problems:

1. Get a copy of your written tenancy agreement, read it and keep it safe!

2. Ask for a copy of any inventory that is made at the beginning and/or end of your tenancy agreement. If no inventory is taken by your landlord, make your own, and forward a copy to the landlord/letting agent including photos of any damage caused before the start of your tenancy

3. Take photos of any disrepair issues in the property, and date them
4. If dealing with antisocial behaviour/noisy neighbours keep a diary and forward a copy (not the original) to your landlord and/or local authority

5. Keep a record of any phone calls with your landlord, and keep copies of letters to and from your landlord and record delivery if necessary

6. Ask your landlord to secure your deposit with a tenancy protection scheme if the tenancy began after April 2007.

* Based on a nationally representative poll of 528 people living in privately rented accommodation. Interviews conducted between 18th and 22nd July 2007 by Populus

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