Uninhabitable flat- Urgent help needed for kids in first flat

duchy

I understand the OP is horrified but I'm wondering if her son was too or not

flora48

Silver car, you and I have obviously had the same experiences, what you say is so true!

One can only hope that there is a learning process for the youngsters for future times.

Errata

The place is disgusting and I am at a loss to know how calling the agent is going to make any difference because they knew it was like this when they let it.

As presumably did the tenants, with the exception of the one who couldn't be bothered to view it. Clearly they were content to rent a property that has "One room is a building site. ".

pickledonionspaceraider

Ive never heard of a LL taking 6 months rent in advance - 6 months!

Pixie5740

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Ive never heard of a LL taking 6 months rent in advance - 6 months!

Sometimes they do that instead of asking for guarantors.

lonestarfan

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Sometimes they do that instead of asking for guarantors.

The new LL for my nephew student will take a terms worth of rent on 29 Sept when the student loan is paid to the student. That's quite common. He's been in occupation since 1 Sept and the LL is prepared to wait and that is his deal every year as he only rents to students. Student renting has a few differences to normal letting I have noticed. I suspect London has it's own quirks that are likely to be much worse! Doesn't help the OP this year but for anyone trying to learn from this try to encourage your student relatives to use Unipol to find private rented accom. Some of you are being too harsh here - it's a delicate balance when you are not in charge - there are other students in this flat and there are other parents so when trying to steer them safely you have to drop hints here and there & get the others onside by influencing gently as you can't go into the flat and take charge & start barking orders. I've done this by emailing MSE horror stories to my nephew in the hope he might discuss and share with flatmates. Seems to have worked about bill sharing as I seem to have put fear of god into him about financial relationships ! They've all gone for cash and paypoint and no join accounts and no joint names on supplies. Roll on financial education in schools - I might do it as p/t lecturer lol. You all say they are adults as they are 18 but they still need guidance and it's so obvious to me in the flat the ones where their parents aren't bothered. This OP is bothered but inexperienced. I also have experience of knowing how the distance makes life so hard as I have to go to work every day and can't be there at every viewing 75 miles away but I will try harder next year. Managing from a distance is a skill in private life as well as in a professional life. I seemed to get their attention & respect when I was the only one who knew how to set up and use the central heating even when the landlord didn't & asked him to show the lads the gas certificate so they knew what it looked like and what to look for in terms of date and whether it passed etc. It's also tricky about making sure your kids don't look like mum or dad always takes over as I can spot those very quickly too. So it is a delicate balance as I say.
I think for the OP it would be good to get all students onside and agree who is going to contact the EH and the landlord to get them to improve things is one way as I think it's unlikely to get your money back. So perhaps the emphasis is on improving conditions whilst they must live there. I challenged by nephews friends to see who had the courage to speak to the landlord to ask for a discount on the last 3 weeks as they had loads of disruption from workmen upgrading the flat whilst living there incl noise,no lock or handle on the toilet door etc. they treated it as a competition and they did get a reduction. Only £6pw each but never the less they had a go when they didn't want to and a bit of a laugh. Apologies for long post but I had to trawl these boards to learn about students and it's helped massively so I hope I can help someone in return.

topdaddy_2

silvercar wrote: »

Trust me, it will happen again next year.

Within a few weeks, they will be scurrying around, searching for a better dive to rent next year, confident that by booking early they will secure the best place.

So they view current student properties, ignore the dirt and damp and look at how big the rooms are, whether there is outdoor space for a BBQ and how near the bus route/off-licence/take away their desired hovel is. Sign up with the people on their course/ hall corridor and congratulate themselves that they are "sorted".

Between now and next September, they will fall out with half their new friends, one will drop out of uni and be substituted for someone they've never met, another will find an addiction and be so high they won't recognise the person they thought they new, another will become a recluse and lock himself away tied to his laptop playing minesweeper surfacing only in the dead of night to nibble cheese with his new found pet the rat in the basement....

and so the cycle repeats.

If thats the case maybe they aint smart enough to go to uni. No problem learning a lesson the hard way(apart from the hard bit) but a real big problem if not learning from this

PlymouthMaid

Horrible situation for them. I don't know that the uni accommodation office will help out unless the landlord is registered with them and that seems unlikely.

Errata

Some of you are being too harsh here

Really? When the OP's offspring CBA to even look at the flat before moving in day?

silvercar

PlymouthMaid wrote: »

Horrible situation for them. I don't know that the uni accommodation office will help out unless the landlord is registered with them and that seems unlikely.

In some towns being a registered landlord of the university helps a great deal in letting your property. It gives you access to some direct student marketing that can be the difference between letting your property early or having the panic that it could be empty for the year.