Lawyer Destroyer

Your “student status” is not a single fixed thing. It can mean different things depending on the purpose in question, and the answer differs for council tax exemption, benefits, immigration, and the university’s own view of whether you are still enrolled. The key point is that being enrolled with your university does not automatically mean … Read more

Short answer Yes, you can challenge invoices that you believe are fabricated, vague or inflated. A landlord is not entitled to charge you simply because they have produced a piece of paper called an “invoice”. They must be able to show that you are genuinely liable for the sum, that the work or loss actually … Read more

The absence of a check-in inventory or photographic evidence is usually very helpful to you as the tenant, because it makes it much harder for the landlord or accommodation provider to justify keeping any of your deposit for damage or cleaning. Here is how it works. Who has to prove what The key principle in … Read more

Short answer In most cases, no. A landlord generally cannot charge you the full cost of brand new carpets, redecoration or a new mattress. The two key principles that limit what a landlord can deduct from your deposit (or bill you for) are fair wear and tear and betterment. There are limited situations where a … Read more

The key deadline: 10 days after agreement For a typical student let on an assured shorthold tenancy, the deposit must be protected in one of the three government-approved schemes for England and Wales (the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits, or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme). At the end of the tenancy, the legal position is that the … Read more

The answer turns almost entirely on one question: what type of tenancy agreement you signed. This determines whether your landlord can lawfully touch your share of the deposit for another person’s rent or damage. The crucial distinction: joint tenancy or individual tenancy There are two common arrangements in shared student accommodation, and they produce very … Read more

Short answer It depends heavily on the type of tenancy you have and what you signed. In a joint tenancy of a shared house, the general legal position is that all the tenants can be held jointly and severally liable for damage to communal areas, even where nobody can identify who caused it. This means … Read more

Short answer If the usage cap really was undisclosed, the university will find it difficult to make you pay the excess. A term that shifts a significant financial liability onto you cannot normally be relied on if it was hidden or buried, and a “bills included” description creates a reasonable expectation that bills genuinely are … Read more

Short answer Whether the rent or instalment schedule can be changed after you reserve university accommodation depends almost entirely on what your accommodation agreement says, and on whether any variation clause the provider relies on is fair and enforceable under consumer law. A provider generally cannot simply increase your rent or reshape your payment dates … Read more

The short answer Yes, you may be able to claim compensation, but whether you can depends heavily on the exact terms of your accommodation contract and what it said about the availability date of your room. The starting point is that your accommodation agreement is a legally binding contract, and if the provider failed to … Read more

The key question: is your tenancy actually covered by the deposit rules? The most important issue here is easily overlooked. The tenancy deposit protection rules in the Housing Act 2004 only apply to assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs). A lot of university accommodation is not an AST at all, and if that is the case the … Read more

The key threshold question: is your tenancy actually covered? The deposit protection rules do not apply to every arrangement, and this matters enormously for student accommodation. The statutory protection under sections 212 to 215 of the Housing Act 2004 only applies where you hold an assured shorthold tenancy (AST). Before assuming you have a claim, … Read more

When your deposit must be protected If you rent on an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) that began on or after 6 April 2007, your landlord must protect your deposit in one of three government-approved schemes. In England and Wales these are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits, and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Most student … Read more

Short answer Whether the provider can move you to a different room, building or city after you have booked depends first on what your accommodation contract says, and second on whether any relocation clause it relies on is fair and enforceable under consumer protection law. Many purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) contracts do contain a clause … Read more

Short answer Possibly, but “rejecting” a tenancy is not as simple as rejecting faulty goods. Whether you can walk away and recover your money depends on how significant the difference is, how the room was marketed, who you contracted with, and whether you have already moved in. There are several overlapping legal routes, and the … Read more