Student Joint Tenancy Problems

Caroline_a

Did the absconder not provide a parent guarantee? If so, could you not chase them for the missing 4 months?

silvercar

bristol_pilot wrote: »

OP - do you realise that you have agreed, if it all goes wrong, to pay the full rent for the entire tenancy period for all 8 tenants? Parental guarantees for student lets usually mean that the students are living beyond their means - in accommodation more suited to professional people than students. There is plenty of student accommodation that can be had without a guarantor, its just not at the luxury end of the market.

Standard practice in student lets in most university towns.

I wrote on my son's guarantor form that I would only be held liable for my son's rent.

The problem is that it is easier to chase people who are living in the property than one who has disappeared.

bristol_pilot

silvercar wrote: »

Standard practice in student lets in most university towns.

I wrote on my son's guarantor form that I would only be held liable for my son's rent.

The problem is that it is easier to chase people who are living in the property than one who has disappeared.

Standard practice for mugs.

Joint and several liability means you are liable for the lot, regardless of what additional text you wrote on the form.

Geenie

mealeys wrote: »

We've only found about it being 4 months worth of rent owing today, so thats why we haven't acted sooner. I've got an appointment with the CAB next week, We have tried to advertise for a new tenant to take over the room but with no luck and the letting agency don;t think we will have much chance.

Its not fair to let him walk away from his responsibilities and let the others pay up.It will amount to over £2000 if he doesn't pay any more rent from now on!

Also as a parent I was told this type of tenancy and being a parent guarantor was the only way my daughter could get a house to rent for university, so I had no opton it seems as all the LL are doing this in the B'ham area!

Thanks for all your answers, I'll update with what the CAB tell me to do, hope this will help someone else avoid this situation in future.

Hi Mealeys

My daughter is a 3rd year student at Birmingham, and we have always had to be a parent guarantor since she moved out of 1st year Vale campus. It is pretty much the norm around Selly Oak and other student areas there as far as I have experienced, so you are right. My daughter presently is in a house of 7, and all said parents have had to guareentee their sprogs.

From what you are saying the student who has done a bunk was the lead tenant on the deposit scheme, ie, they had been given the details to get the deposit back from the scheme. This is very bad luck.


I would contact the deposit scheme explaining the situation, but also get on to the letting agent, as if you are liable, then surely the parents of the student who has bunked off is also?! Plus the letting agents should have an address for this person. If they don't, then they have clearly not done their job.

Also contact the university. Good luck.

silvercar

bristol_pilot wrote: »

Standard practice for mugs.

In many towns if you want your child to live in approved accommodation you have to do this. If you are happy for your child to live in accommodation where a landlord is happy to let to students with no income and no guarantor chances are the property is grotty and/ or the landlord is not interested in doing other things properly like maintenance/ gas certificates/ deposit protection etc.

I di chat with the letting agent about people without guarantors. She said that parents who initially refuse often change their minds, in some cases she suspects that the student forges a parental signature etc :eek:

tbs624

Plans_all_plans wrote: »

When we lived in Halls in 1st year though we did not need guarantors.

If the halls are Uni owned/operated most Universities will seek to withhold a student's degree award until all monies owed to the Uni are settled.

anselld

I would suggest the remaining tenants write (recorded delivery) to the Letting Agent and Landlord reminding them that each student has a guarantor and they should take all steps to seek payment from the missing student's guarantor BEFORE seeking payment from the other students.

Also they MUST get the missing name removed from the deposit to prevent the missing person and the LA releasing the deposit by agreement between themselves.

flybynight

i never had one for my rent at uni, but then i alos worked part time, i wonder if that made a difference. what happens if you dont have a guarantor, i didn't / don't have anyone that could sign one for me.

moomaa

I had this happen at Uni, we knew we were all liable, the agency advised us that in theory we should pay (or not and they take all of us or whoever was easiest to court) and then us in turn take the missing person to small claims court. In practice the agency took the individual to court and we got our full deposit back. We didn't have to do anything. The missing person got a CCJ.

bristol_pilot

silvercar wrote: »

In many towns if you want your child to live in approved accommodation you have to do this. If you are happy for your child to live in accommodation where a landlord is happy to let to students with no income and no guarantor chances are the property is grotty and/ or the landlord is not interested in doing other things properly like maintenance/ gas certificates/ deposit protection etc.

That is essentially what I meant by students today living beyond their means. Renting quality approved accommodation through an agency. No wonder they want guarantors. In my day it was expected that students would rent cheap grotty (but comfy) accommodation directly from a landlord. My rent was £13 a week when I was a student and it wasn't THAT long ago. Even today, if you rent directly from a landlord it is straightforward to find a place without parental guarantors. I'm a renter myself - no guarantor, no proof of income, no deposit. No agency either.