All Students SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS Before Living in Student Accommodation
Before you move into any Student Accommodation landlords have a legal obligation to supply the Gas Safety assessment for the building.
Landlords are also required by law to protect their tenants deposits by employing a third party, this is known as the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. A landlord must tell their tenants of the holding company they are utilising within 2 weeks of accepting the deposit – failure for them to do so can bring repercussion in the form of a fine.
Should a landlord withdraw their flat from being let before the Tenancy Contract is signed all they are required to do is return the holding deposit to the tenant (this remains the case up until the day the tenancy is due to begin). Likely tenants should get the final housing contract signed by the Landlord as soon as the points within are agreed.
Tenants will be in a much better position to challenge any charges taken from their deposit if an inventory check is performed prior to entirely moving in. If a Landlord or Letting Agent doesn’t forward the inventory the tenant really should consider putting together one. In this circumstance it is also important for the housing contract to be counter signed by either the Landlord or Letting Agent incase of future disagreements. Even just a set of quick photos that are sent by special delivery to the Landlord, or their agent, on the very first day of the Tenancy will do.
The fee of rent per tenant tends to drop as the number of people sharing increases, up to a max of four. If a student property is capable of housing 5 or more tenants, it is groupedgraded as a ‘House in Multiple Occupation’. This makes it more high priced for the landlord to maintain – as a consequence the increased rent per tenant.
Landlords are also required by law to protect their tenants deposits by employing a third party, this is known as the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. A landlord must tell their tenants of the holding company they are utilising within 2 weeks of accepting the deposit – failure for them to do so can bring repercussion in the form of a fine.
Should a landlord withdraw their flat from being let before the Tenancy Contract is signed all they are required to do is return the holding deposit to the tenant (this remains the case up until the day the tenancy is due to begin). Likely tenants should get the final housing contract signed by the Landlord as soon as the points within are agreed.
Tenants will be in a much better position to challenge any charges taken from their deposit if an inventory check is performed prior to entirely moving in. If a Landlord or Letting Agent doesn’t forward the inventory the tenant really should consider putting together one. In this circumstance it is also important for the housing contract to be counter signed by either the Landlord or Letting Agent incase of future disagreements. Even just a set of quick photos that are sent by special delivery to the Landlord, or their agent, on the very first day of the Tenancy will do.
The fee of rent per tenant tends to drop as the number of people sharing increases, up to a max of four. If a student property is capable of housing 5 or more tenants, it is groupedgraded as a ‘House in Multiple Occupation’. This makes it more high priced for the landlord to maintain – as a consequence the increased rent per tenant.
It is a common misunderstanding that one TV license is needed for each address.
This is only true if student property is rented on a shared basis, where there is split responsibility for the rent. If tenants sharing a house have seperate tenancy agreements a license will be required per tenant that has a television in their room. A prime example of such circumstances would be a flat of 5 students in private or university halls of residence.
Full time students are exempt from paying council tax however, this is inaccurate for part time students. Full time students should consider sharing with part time students incase the house as a combined group determine that it is biased for the part time student to dish out the full council tax bill.
If you are looking for student houses through a letting agent they will demand a referencing charge ranging between tenty to one hundred pounds per tenant. In the Selly Oak area a £50 referencing charge is considered normal. Tenants should try to negotiate this number down as each basic reference will only cost the letting agency around £20 per person. Letting Agents charge considerably bigger fees from the Landlord, therefore they are unlikely to want to lose out on these prospective charges for the sake of billing prospective tenants a moderatly smaller fee. Agents can’t charge you for just viewing accommodation.
Most tenancy contracts are valid for 12 months. Students renting in non-student areas should consider asking for a break clause to be contained into the agreement. This gives the tenants the freedom to give notice at any point during the 2nd half of the tenancy.
Student areas are often considered as a hotspot for crime, as a large proportion students have never moved into a property by themselves and security can sometimes be disregarded. Students should ask their landlord for windows and doors to be secured by key operating locks, and bolts respectively. It is also advisable to view properties with maintained intruder alarms as this provides a key deterrent and can be activated in the day or evening when the house is untenanted.
Full time students are exempt from paying council tax however, this is inaccurate for part time students. Full time students should consider sharing with part time students incase the house as a combined group determine that it is biased for the part time student to dish out the full council tax bill.
If you are looking for student houses through a letting agent they will demand a referencing charge ranging between tenty to one hundred pounds per tenant. In the Selly Oak area a £50 referencing charge is considered normal. Tenants should try to negotiate this number down as each basic reference will only cost the letting agency around £20 per person. Letting Agents charge considerably bigger fees from the Landlord, therefore they are unlikely to want to lose out on these prospective charges for the sake of billing prospective tenants a moderatly smaller fee. Agents can’t charge you for just viewing accommodation.
Most tenancy contracts are valid for 12 months. Students renting in non-student areas should consider asking for a break clause to be contained into the agreement. This gives the tenants the freedom to give notice at any point during the 2nd half of the tenancy.
Student areas are often considered as a hotspot for crime, as a large proportion students have never moved into a property by themselves and security can sometimes be disregarded. Students should ask their landlord for windows and doors to be secured by key operating locks, and bolts respectively. It is also advisable to view properties with maintained intruder alarms as this provides a key deterrent and can be activated in the day or evening when the house is untenanted.
