Halls fine

Oldernotwiser

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

Well I'm assuming most rooms to be the bedroom and they aren't generally huge - when I've done work on a building site painting I was expected to do more than 1 room a day that was of that kind of size. Also if it is University maintained then they will use inhouse people who will be salaried and on far far less than £300/£200 a day.

OP wrote of damage to the communal area, which I assumed to be large. Surely if it were just 1 bedroom that needed decorating, they wouldn't need to split the cost 4 ways? A bedroom would be the responsibility of the individual tenant, I would've thought.

Blacksheep1979

I was thinking that it was marks on bedrooms as well as communal area - as £450 for just one room is a fair bit.

MissMoneypenny

Rumman wrote: »

The problem is the guy has disappeared to where he came from being a foreign student, and apparently the management cant contact him, neither can we, so we have to pay the fine, i think is against the law and the contract.

If the damage was in his bedroom then it would be deemed as an unfair clause by The Office of Fair Trading to make the other students pay for this. As it is a communal area, you may be liable for equal costs, but surely not the share of the overseas student? I would have though it was up to the LL to recover that cost. I'm not a solicitor, so you should try to get legal advice if the students union can't help. Also, the LL should be getting 2 or 3 quotes for the repairs and take the cheapest one. The LL can't get better furniture than was in there. Nor can the LL take the money and not replace the furniture.

Did you have a contents insurance policy? If you had legal cover on that then they may give you a solicitor to deal with this. I know that Endsleigh have this on their policy for any landlord problems. You should only have to pay the excess of your policy towards the solicitors fees and the insurers pay the rest up to whatever the limit is on the policy (often around £50,000.00). If you didn't have cover, does your parents house contents, legal cover policy, cover you?

MissMoneypenny

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Surely if it were just 1 bedroom that needed decorating, they wouldn't need to split the cost 4 ways? A bedroom would be the responsibility of the individual tenant, I would've thought.

Certainly would and any LL that has a contract saying otherwise, should be reported to The Office of Fair Trading. They don't don't deal in retrospect, but they can stop the LL using that clause in future contracts and the OFT ruling could be used in court as evidence against the LL, for the tenant who reported him.

Blacksheep1979

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Certainly would and any LL that has a contract saying otherwise, should be reported to The Office of Fair Trading. They don't don't deal in retrospect, but they can stop the LL using that clause in future contracts and the OFT ruling could be used in court as evidence against the LL, for the tenant who reported him.

wouldn't matter in the slightest if the self contained flat area was rented to the group as jointly and severably liable anyone who could be found could be held liable for any damage done by anyone anywhere. The office of fair trading wouldn't say jack about it.

MissMoneypenny

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

wouldn't matter in the slightest if the self contained flat area was rented to the group as jointly and severably liable anyone who could be found could be held liable for any damage done by anyone anywhere. The office of fair trading wouldn't say jack about it.

When I spoke to the OFT about it, they were interested. They said they viewed it as an unfair clause in a contract if others were made responsible for another student's bedroom. The EA caved and adopted that stance too.

Blacksheep1979

It may make a difference in halls, but in a joint household with a joint tennancy it wouldn't make a difference.

EagerLearner

I'm sorry but £200 odd re chair(s)? What student digs is kitted out with such expensive furniture? Surely the Landlord needs to furnish the acommodation with less expensive items as over time they will get damaged.

See https://www.arla.co.uk which will give you a good indication of what a landlord can fairly deduct from deposits/charge.

Good luck!

Rumman

Good idea about the paint, ive decided to buy a paint load to paint over the walls, which should save us alot of money. Went to B and Q and tried to get these same chairs orderded, having problems, if we get the chairs sorted , at least 3 of them then the fine gets reduced dramtically.

Rumman

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

If the damage was in his bedroom then it would be deemed as an unfair clause by The Office of Fair Trading to make the other students pay for this. As it is a communal area, you may be liable for equal costs, but surely not the share of the overseas student? I would have though it was up to the LL to recover that cost. I'm not a solicitor, so you should try to get legal advice if the students union can't help. Also, the LL should be getting 2 or 3 quotes for the repairs and take the cheapest one. The LL can't get better furniture than was in there. Nor can the LL take the money and not replace the furniture.

Did you have a contents insurance policy? If you had legal cover on that then they may give you a solicitor to deal with this. I know that Endsleigh have this on their policy for any landlord problems. You should only have to pay the excess of your policy towards the solicitors fees and the insurers pay the rest up to whatever the limit is on the policy (often around £50,000.00). If you didn't have cover, does your parents house contents, legal cover policy, cover you?

The halls have contents insurance, they provided it automatically. Thats why i was wondering they would get all damaged items back from them. But i guess it doesn't work like that.