During tenancy

Repairs

• Contact the landlord/agent immediately. They cannot be held responsible until they have been informed. Give details of what isn’t working, when it happened and if it affects anything else.

• Follow up phone calls with an email or letter (and always keep a copy). This is proof that you reported the repair.

• Check the ID of anyone who is called to your property e.g. an engineer.

• Write to your landlord, in the first instance, if they haven’t undertaken the repairs within a reasonable period of time.

• If you think that they are taking too long to do them, contact the Student Accommodation Office.

Things can change or go wrong. Know your rights and responsibilities when it comes to your home.

LANDLORD RESPONSIBILITIES

• Heating and hot water supply

• Basins, sinks, baths and toilets

• Structure of the property, windows, external doors, drains and gutters

• Gas appliances and fixed electrical installations

TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Report repair issues to landlord or agent

• Change light bulbs

• Test smoke alarms and provide batteries

• Keep the property clean and in good order

Damp and mould

Damp can cause mould on the walls and furniture, and make timber window frames rot. It can increase the risk of respiratory illness. It is not always the landlord’s responsibility to deal with damp. It depends on the tenancy agreement, the severity (e.g. if it is causing health problems) and the cause (e.g. disrepair to the exterior of the building).

If you are concerned, you should seek further advice. If you are worried about your health, first contact the landlord, ideally in writing. However, if they fail to respond, you can contact the Environmental Health Department at the council and they should investigate.

Infestations

Damp and condensation

Depending on the cause, heating and ventilation can remove damp and hiring or purchasing a dehumidifier can help. Avoid excessive moisture in the air by:

• Covering pans whilst cooking

• Opening windows after showering

• Drying clothes outside

Infestations can be a problem. Local councils often offer a service to treat or eliminate them.

What you can do

Regularly clean and take out rubbish and recycling. Do not leave anything edible or perishable out; use plastic containers for food. Follow the instructions from pest control professionals.

Bedbugs

What the landlord can do

Block any holes that might be letting pests into the property. If the infestation was an existing problem before your tenancy, the landlord will be responsible for resolving the problem.

Bedbugs are becoming more and more common in London. Ensure you report this immediately and seek advice about how to deal with the problem. Do not take furniture from the street as they might have an infestation. Be aware that bed bugs can attach themselves to clothing and move from property to property in this way.

Harassment

Harassment can be anything a landlord does, or fails to do, that makes you feel unsafe in the property or forces you to leave.

Landlords cannot force you to leave without a court order or formal notice being served.

If you think you are being harassed, contact the student accommodation office

Rent Repayment Order

Examples of harassment

• Barring services; electricity, wifi, etc.

• Withholding keys, eg: there are 2 tenants in a property but the landlord will only give 1 key

• Refusing to carry out repairs

• Threats and physical violence

• Entering property without cause or providing reasonable notice

A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order made by a tribunal judge requiring a landlord to pay back rent to a tenant. The offences that can result in a rent repayment order are:

• Letting a property without an HMO licence or appropriate licence

• Using or threatening violence to enter the property

• Harassment or illegal eviction

• Failure to comply with council orders, notices, or enforcement actions

For more information or to file an RRO, visit: bit.ly/rent-repayment-order

Leaving the property

Your tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract. you are obliged to continue paying rent until:

• You and the landlord agree to end the contract early

• The contract comes to its natural end

If a landlord/agent won’t agree to release you from your contract early, you will be responsible for the payment of rent for the rest of the tenancy period.

Can I just move out?

You cannot end the tenancy agreement unless the following apply:

• The property is unfit to live in. Note: These circumstances would have to be proven.

• You were given misleading information or pressured to take the tenancy

Contact the Student Accommodation Office if you are experiencing any of the above.