Student Accommodation

annelofty

My daughter is being asked to pay full rent for the third term at university even though she left her accommodation in the middle of March.  Her rent includes all utilities !!!  I expect to pay something but not full rent!  Her accommodation is being managed by Homes For Students Ltd, who in there last published accounts state that they share in revenue!! They are saying the landlord wants this, this is profiteering by both landlord and managing agents, is there anything we can do?  They have not responded to my query regarding the initial deposit of £250 and if this could be offset against this!  

poppy12345

If your daughter was/is privately renting then she will need to pay for the remainder of the months for which she signed the contract for. If she claims a student loan then this was paid as normal in April. If she has a guarantor then they will be liable to pay the remainder of the contract, if she doesn't pay. She didn't have to leave the accommodation.

silvercar

Is the landlord a private landlord? If so, it will be his decision whether to release your daughter from her contract.
It isn't profiteering as such it is running a business. Do you buy food in the supermarket and then accuse them of profiteering on the price?
She could have chosen to isolate in her accommodation, so it was still available to her. She also still received all student funding as usual for term 3. I suspect that if term 3 rent is short by £250 they will retain the deposit, though that is not the official way to pay your rent.

gary83

The blunt truth is she signed a contract agreeing to occupy the property at £x until the end of the contract. Did her landlord make her leave? Or did she choose to leave? If the property is still available & the service is being provided but not used as your daughter chose to go back to her parents then why should the landlord lose out? 

The question of student rent has come up a lot on here. I’ve yet to see anybody that’s not a student,  or the parents of a student ask if it’s fair that they would have to continue to pay their rent/mortgage on their house that they’ve chosen to leave whilst they’ve moved back in with their parents. 

The deposit is a separate issue and will be returned at the end of the tenancy if the property is returned in the same condition it was let in minus fair wear & tear. I’m not a landlord, but If I was I wouldn’t accept offsetting the initial £250 deposit now. What happens if they agree to that then find damage after the tenancy has ended and they now can’t claim the funds from the deposit to pay for repairs?

Jeremy535897

gary83 said:

The deposit is a separate issue and will be returned at the end of the tenancy if the property is returned in the same condition it was let in minus fair wear & tear. I’m not a landlord, but If I was I wouldn’t accept offsetting the initial £250 deposit now. What happens if they agree to that then find damage after the tenancy has ended and they now can’t claim the funds from the deposit to pay for repairs?

I suspect it is a security deposit, required to be held by an authorised organisation for the duration of the lease. It would only be repayable if the lease was terminated.

adamp87

You could argue the same with your child was kicked off the course, changed their mind or returned home. Unfortunately the contract still stands.

You could of course ask if they will make a reduction but they are under no obligation too.

hb2

adamp87 said:

You could of course ask if they will make a reduction but they are under no obligation too.

This. OP, did your daughter ask for a small deduction for unused utilities (not forgetting that they will have standing charges), or go in 'all guns blazing' asking to pay no rent at all? I suspect that the first approach would be more successful.

annelofty

We asked for a reduction in respect of unused utilities, at no point did we expect to pay no rent at all, as we do appreciate that the landlord has fixed costs that will still be incurred.  The rent includes all utilities, the costs of which will be substantially reduced due to the building now being mainly empty.

poppy12345

I'm assuming they said no when you asked for the reduction? Of course they don't have to agree because your daughter signed an agreement, she's liable for the whole amount. She didn't have to leave, she could have stayed.

superbigal

I would get around there and turn the heating on full blast.  Get your moneys worth at least.

gary83

superbigal said:

I would get around there and turn the heating on full blast.  Get your moneys worth at least.

Plug in a few electric heaters as well. A reduction in utilities does seem like a reasonable request, especially as the landlord is benefiting from only having to pay minimal charges and not getting any wear and tear on the property, maybe they’re worried about the state of the business come September and can’t afford to make any gestures of goodwill now, either way your daughter might just have to chalk it up as one of those hard life lessons your supposed to learn in Uni.