Lawyer Destroyer

Legal position Persistent leaks, flooding and sewage problems are usually your landlord’s responsibility to fix, whether your accommodation is a university hall of residence, a private purpose-built student block, or a house or flat let by a private landlord. The exact route depends on the type of accommodation and your tenancy or licence agreement, but … Read more

Legal position Heating and hot water are among the core repairing responsibilities that the law places on your landlord, and this cannot be shifted onto you by anything written in the tenancy agreement. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, a landlord letting on a tenancy of less than seven years must … Read more

Short answer No, a landlord cannot automatically escape responsibility for mould simply by labelling it “condensation” caused by your “lifestyle” as students. Whether that argument works depends on the underlying cause. If the mould is genuinely and mainly caused by how the property is used (never opening windows, drying washing indoors with no ventilation, never … Read more

Overview Serious mould or damp in a rented student house is a common problem, and you have real legal rights to force your landlord to deal with it. The key point is that repairing damp and mould is almost always the landlord’s responsibility, not yours, unless the problem is genuinely caused by how you are … Read more

Whether your student house needs an HMO licence A student house will usually be a house in multiple occupation (HMO), but not every HMO needs a licence. There are two questions: first, is the property an HMO at all; and second, if it is, does it fall within a licensing scheme. A property is generally … Read more

Overview Whether your accommodation is a private rented house or flat, a house in multiple occupation (HMO), or purpose-built student accommodation, your landlord has legal duties covering gas safety, electrical safety and fire safety. You are entitled to see the compliance documents, and the landlord must give some of them to you automatically. The exact … Read more

Legal position Broken external doors, locks and windows in rented student accommodation are almost always the landlord’s responsibility to repair, not yours, provided you did not cause the damage. The main legal source is section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. For most residential tenancies granted for less than seven years, including standard … Read more

Short answer University security and accommodation staff have no general legal power to search your body or your possessions, and no automatic right to force their way into your room. Their ability to enter and search depends almost entirely on the contract you signed for your accommodation, usually called a licence or tenancy agreement, together … Read more

Short answer In most cases you do not have to allow inspections or viewings on demand, but the exact position depends on what your tenancy agreement says and on the type of accommodation you live in. As a tenant you have the legal right to “quiet enjoyment” of your room, which means the right to … Read more

Short answer No. In almost all cases your landlord or letting agent cannot lawfully enter your accommodation without proper notice and, importantly, without your agreement. Even if they give you 24 hours written notice, notice alone does not give them an automatic right to walk in against your wishes. The key protection is your right … Read more

Short answer Yes. You can complain about overcrowding, an unsafe bedroom, or a room you cannot properly access, and there is a clear escalation route. The best route depends on who provides your accommodation, because that determines both your legal rights and who regulates the provider. First, identify who your provider is The starting point … Read more

Short answer Yes, in principle you may be entitled to compensation, and sometimes to a form of rent reduction, for prolonged disrepair in student accommodation in England and Wales. Whether you can, and how much you might recover, depends on the type of accommodation, the terms of your tenancy or licence, the nature and duration … Read more

Short answer In most cases the answer is no. There is generally no automatic legal duty on a landlord in England and Wales to provide alternative accommodation just because a rented property has become uninhabitable, whether that is private student accommodation or purpose-built student halls. The landlord’s core legal duty is to keep the property … Read more

The basic legal position If accommodation staff cleared your room or disposed of your belongings, you may have several overlapping legal claims. Which ones apply depends on exactly what happened, but the main routes are conversion under the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, negligence, breach of contract, and breach of a bailee’s duty. In … Read more

Short answer There is no automatic rule that a university or halls provider is liable for property stolen during a theft or break-in. A thief is the person primarily responsible in law. However, the provider can become liable, or can be required to act, in specific situations, most importantly where the theft or repeated break-ins … Read more

Short answer A university can include a communal damage charge in its accommodation contract, and this is a common and generally lawful practice. However, it cannot simply impose a blanket charge on every resident without limit or scrutiny. Whether a particular charge is enforceable against you depends on the exact wording of your accommodation agreement, … Read more