Before you go ahead and find a student house for you and your friends to live in, you should take stock of what you need to know. Not all landlords or even agencies specializing in homes for students are equal – most are honest but some will try to con young people as much as possible. The following is a list of facts relating to your rights and the obligations of landlords that you really should be aware of when you start looking around houses. This way, when the time comes to move out you aren’t going to lose out. So here they are:
Inventory:
If you find there is some damage to the property when you move in, or a landlord tries to bill you for a missing item when you move out, you will be in a far better position to contest this if you have a signed inventory in place from the start. Agencies will nearly always provide one of these, but some landlords will try to ‘forget’ about it. Our advice to you if this happens is to draw up an inventory yourself and insist that the landlord comes round to witness and sign it. It’s also a good idea to take a set of dated digital photos on the first day of the tenancy, showing the state of the property at the time. This will help you if they try to take an unreasonable amount of damage deposit away from you for wear and tear.
Gas Safety Certificates:
Everyone should be fully aware of the dangers of a faulty gas supply system. Bear in mind that every landlord and letting agent is now legally obliged to provide you with an up-to-date gas safety certificate when you move into their property. If there isn’t one in place you should refuse to move in and withhold rent until they can produce one.
Deposit Scheme:
Remember that landlords are now obliged to use a certified Tenancy Deposit Scheme to protect their tenants’ deposits throughout the terms of the contract. Make sure they have informed you of which scheme they are using so you know your money is safe.
Tenancy Agreement:
You should get your tenancy agreement signed as soon as possible, because until you do the landlord is perfectly within their rights to change their mind and all they have to do is return your deposit. So many students have chosen their house and sat back and relaxed, only to find the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute. Sometimes, in the worst cases, on the day before they are due to move in.
Council Tax:
Generally speaking, full-time students are exempt from paying council tax but your obligations in this regard will depend upon who you are living with. Part-time students still have to pay the bill so, although it may sound harsh, you should avoid sharing with part-time students if you want to save money during your time at university.
TV License:
Don’t fall foul of TV licensing laws. If you are renting a house on a shared basis then you only need to buy one license so you should try do this if at all possible. However, if your house is rented on the basis of individual tenancy agreements then each room will require its own license. Don’t try to get away without paying the full amount, because the fines you may incur for this will be substantially more than the initial cost of the license itself.
Break Clauses:
Whilst most students will need to rent their houses for at least a year, this isn’t the case for everyone. If you’re unsure whether you will need the property for 12 months then you will need to find a landlord or letting agent that is prepared to insert a break clause into your contract. This means you are free to leave and give notice, although this will still usually only be for the second half of the agreement so you should be sure that you do at least want to stay for the first six months.