HOMES FOR STUDENTS - Private Student accommodation - advice

Rooster_Norwich

My daughter, studying at Lincoln University,  has her room in Private Student accommodation in Lincoln. The University has advises all students, where they can, to go home and under Government guides to work from home so she has returned home to a safe environment here to continue her studies.
Homes for Students are a broker for many private student accommodations, unfortunately each one has its own policies on the Covid 19 situation. There is NO consistency.  Some tenants have been requested to pay full rent, some have been allowed to end tenancies early, some have had the third term fees waived, some offered a discount.
My daughter was offered a 20% discount on the third term fee of £920.00 if paid before 24th April. She had already paid right up until end of June in full and was told by the office that she didnt have to do anything and that the refund would be applied retrospectively. Thats now changed and they are saying that because she didn't apply on 24th April - the full amount is now due for accommodation she cannot use. Not through choice but through Government advice. It is not safe for her to return and not essential travel.
I contacted the property manager at the accommodation and was emailed this reply:
The current terms of the tenancy agreement are still applicable and the third and final instalment is still pending £920.00.
Whilst we fully appreciate your comments, we are not in a position to alter the Landlords decision and we must advise that this decision is final.
Complaint about 19-20 tenancy agreements relating to the Covid-19 outbreak are excluded from our formal complaints process.  All terms of the tenancy agreements remain applicable unless notified otherwise in writing by Homes for Students. All notifications are final and there is no appeal or escalation process for such complaints."

So it looks like the Private Accommodation are saying that anything Covid-9 related is excluded from any discussions at all regarding tenancies.
Daughter is obviously worried as she had signed (pre Covid19) for a large studio flat at a much higher rent for the new Semester that should have started in Sept 2020 and has been moved to Oct 2020. She doesnt want to be paying out for a flat she possibly cannot access or travel too or if the semester will be taught remotely and not at University.
Any advice?

neilmcl

Why is not safe for her to live in Lincoln, is there something you know that we all don't? She was living in Lincoln, albeit as a student, the Government has never said all students should return to the parental home, she made a choice.

poppy12345

Does she receive a student loan? If so then the last payment of that was made to all students for the final term because my son received his.

Dymphna60

I know this doesn’t help with the rent question but I do think there is some difficulty interpreting what is a “second home “ as we are not allowed to stay overnight in them . 

If OP and / or daughter believes that the student accommodation 
could be classed as such there in might lie in the confusion about not being safe to return there ? 

Rooster_Norwich

neilmcl said:

Why is not safe for her to live in Lincoln, is there something you know that we all don't? She was living in Lincoln, albeit as a student, the Government has never said all students should return to the parental home, she made a choice.

She has underlying health conditions. 

sharp910sh

I think you will just have to pay. Even though she has underlying health conditions she was still able to stay in her room and lockdown. Was she on the list of people asked to self isolate for 3 months? If so she could have got food parcels to keep her going, 

I think it will be very difficult to get out of this you can only ask for compassion. Whether she has underlying health conditions is not a reason to stop paying or asking for a reduced rent. I assume she is still receiving her student load. 

diggingdude

Sadly not the landlords problem.  A contract is a contract.  Don't risk her credit file by not paying

Boobear13

i appreciate the predicament. I can relate. 

All HMOs that accommodate people that are not permanently resident have had to shut due to government restrictions. But, we are not eligible for a grant that b&b, hotel and holiday lets receive but we work under the same business model. Some businesses don’t even pay business rates but can still get the grant, but HMOS are still responsible for council tax. How is that fair? So I understand that you don’t want to pay rent when the property is not occupied, but we are still left with paying bills, mortgage, council tax, insurance etc. Sometimes you need to see from both sides. By the way, most of my income is from HMO. Now I receive nothing but am paying for everything.

sharpe106

My daughter, studying at Lincoln University, has her room in Private Student accommodation in Lincoln. The University has advises all students, where they can, to go home and under Government guides to work from home so she has returned home to a safe environment here to continue her studies.

 That is advice the government never stated students had to go home. Why would they? many would have had nowhere else to go to.

Homes for Students are a broker for many private student accommodations, unfortunately each one has its own policies on the Covid 19 situation. There is NO consistency.  Some tenants have been requested to pay full rent, some have been allowed to end tenancies early, some have had the third term fees waived, some offered a discount.

 Why would they be any consistency? Nobody made plans for this as they are only a broker how could they then set a policy after the event that everybody had to follow.  

My daughter was offered a 20% discount on the third term fee of £920.00 if paid before 24th April. She had already paid right up until end of June in full and was told by the office that she didnt have to do anything and that the refund would be applied retrospectively. Thats now changed and they are saying that because she didn't apply on 24th April - the full amount is now due for accommodation she cannot use.

 Unless she got it in writing that she talked to the office probably not a lot she can do as I doubt they will remember her phoning.

 
I contacted the property manager at the accommodation and was emailed this reply:
The current terms of the tenancy agreement are still applicable and the third and final instalment is still pending £920.00.
Whilst we fully appreciate your comments, we are not in a position to alter the Landlords decision and we must advise that this decision is final.
Complaint about 19-20 tenancy agreements relating to the Covid-19 outbreak are excluded from our formal complaints process.  All terms of the tenancy agreements remain applicable unless notified otherwise in writing by Homes for Students. All notifications are final and there is no appeal or escalation process for such complaints."

So it looks like the Private Accommodation are saying that anything Covid-9 related is excluded from any discussions at all regarding tenancies.

 Why should the landlord be out of pocket either? They have fulfilled their part of the contract. They provided a service i.e. the accommodation and this could have been used but your daughter chose not to.

Daughter is obviously worried as she had signed (pre Covid19) for a large studio flat at a much higher rent for the new Semester that should have started in Sept 2020 and has been moved to Oct 2020. She doesn’t want to be paying out for a flat she possibly cannot access or travel too or if the semester will be taught remotely and not at University.

 As it is private accommodation she will still be able to travel to the flat and access it. She just may not want to that is not the landlord fault. So unless the government change the rules I can’t see with the exception of explaining it the landlord and asking to be released from the contract what she can do. I can’t see the government changing the rules either as that will open up a whole other can of worms.

 Even if the lectures are taught remotely I am sure the university will still be offering individual tutorials and smaller groups. So she will still probably need to be in the area anyway.

Fire_Fox

Rooster_Norwich said:

My daughter, studying at Lincoln University,  has her room in Private Student accommodation in Lincoln. The University has advises all students, where they can, to go home and under Government guides to work from home so she has returned home to a safe environment here to continue her studies.
Homes for Students are a broker for many private student accommodations, unfortunately each one has its own policies on the Covid 19 situation. There is NO consistency.  Some tenants have been requested to pay full rent, some have been allowed to end tenancies early, some have had the third term fees waived, some offered a discount.
My daughter was offered a 20% discount on the third term fee of £920.00 if paid before 24th April. She had already paid right up until end of June in full and was told by the office that she didnt have to do anything and that the refund would be applied retrospectively. Thats now changed and they are saying that because she didn't apply on 24th April - the full amount is now due for accommodation she cannot use. Not through choice but through Government advice. It is not safe for her to return and not essential travel.
I contacted the property manager at the accommodation and was emailed this reply:
...
So it looks like the Private Accommodation are saying that anything Covid-9 related is excluded from any discussions at all regarding tenancies.
Daughter is obviously worried as she had signed (pre Covid19) for a large studio flat at a much higher rent for the new Semester that should have started in Sept 2020 and has been moved to Oct 2020. She doesnt want to be paying out for a flat she possibly cannot access or travel too or if the semester will be taught remotely and not at University.
Any advice?

Get your facts straight on what the UK government has actually advised, and what is actually permitted. You have the 'wrong end of the stick' in several areas.

Understand the binding nature of the contract that was signed, and understand that the tenant themselves should deal with the landlord (or their agent if they are the only contact details on the tenancy). Any variation to that contract needs to be in writing: paper or e-mail. 

Your home is not necessarily a safer environment than student accommodation that is likely almost empty. At university home she is a household of one, at her parental home she is in a household of several. The majority of Coronavirus transmission is within the household not outside it.

silvercar

She could try and find a replacement tenant for her studio rental for next term. Assuming the landlord was agreeable. She would then have the option of remaining at home or finding a cheaper student rent for the next academic year.
Everyone has been effected by covid-19, some more than others. Students have got off relatively lightly as their student grant/ loans remain the same, yet lockdown has arguably limited their spending on eating and drinking out. For those that have spent the term at home I expect the majority will have had fewer expenses than if they had been in their student accommodation.