Student Accomodation

olgadapolga

Believe me, I am firmly on the side of the landlord here and think that she should pay, from a legal and moral standpoint. She has the money for the November rent payment and if the LL can use the deposit, then there's only a small payment to find for December which I am sure that she can manage.

This is not how I have brought my children up; I've brought them up to respect others, work their way through life, not get into debt and to pay their obligations, so it is really disappointing that my daughter is trying to find any way possible of getting out of the obligations she agreed to by using the room.

I am not a guarantor (nor is my husband) - I refused as the tenancy was jointly and several which meant that if someone defaulted, they could approach me for the money. I valued the roof over the heads of my other children to put that into jeopardy for three people I didn't know (and still don't). I think that my daughter was paying three months' in advance to get around that issue, whereas the other occupants all have guarantors. 

I wouldn't blame the landlord at all if he decided to take her to court for the rent, it would teach her a very sharp lesson about how the world works. And having a CCJ would make it difficult for her to get accommodation when she returns to her studies.

Regarding a maintenance loan, because she ended (well, she's postponed them) her studies before the new academic term started, she wasn't eligible for a student loan. We are trying to sort out her benefits at the moment (as she's completely unable to work in any capacity) but it will be some weeks before that is finalised.

I don't even know if the LL would expect her to pay beyond December; I fully agree that she is liable for the rent until someone else can be found, even if that's next August. Hopefully someone will be found fairly quickly though as it is in London, near one of the universities. Although having said that, it'll be a miracle if the LL will be able to find anyone that would want to move in there; I was disgusted by the place. The communal areas (a small kitchen, bathroom and hall/stairs/landing) were like something from "The Young Ones". I took photos of the kitchen to show my daughter and she was quite blase about it and told me that it had been worse! The place reeked as well, I don't think that the place gets any fresh air unless the front door is opened. I left the windows ajar (but secure) when we left to allow air in to the room we'd just emptied. It took my husband and I three hours to empty it and clean it; my husband had to spend an hour on his hands and knees just cleaning the carpet (I have arthritis in my knees so can't kneel down without being in horrific pain so it fell to him). 

Well, I shall tell my husband what's been said and let him take it from there. Daughter or not, I am not supporting her in this.

Jenni_D

Regarding the "forged signature/no contract" argument (that she is espousing) ... as well as the contract being engaged by performance (using the room), the fact she actually paid a deposit for the room just reinforces it.

Dad needs to give his head a wobble, and wobble hers at the same time. 🙄

TheJP

Murphybear said:

TheJP said:

I can see this going two ways. The LL takes out a CCJ to recover Decembers rent or he wait recover the full tenancy cost up to August. Either way your Daughter wont come out lightly and this would surely further impact her health.

The LL can’t take out a CCJ.  He can take her to court and the judge can award a CCJ.  

Well yes that's what i meant. 

eddddy

olgadapolga said:
I am not a guarantor (nor is my husband)...

...the tenancy was jointly and several ....
...whereas the other occupants all have guarantors. 

So that means that all the other guarantors are guarantors for your daughters rent.

Landlords will sometimes let one or two tenants get away with having no guarantor - if they already have lots of other guarantors. (So you may not have needed to offer 3 months rent in advance.)


So you might get some grief from all the guarantors, if they're asked to pay your daughter's rent.

Marvel1

I would leave your daughter to it, you tried, only way now is she learns actions have consequences.

Marvel1

eddddy said:

olgadapolga said:
I am not a guarantor (nor is my husband)...

...the tenancy was jointly and several ....
...whereas the other occupants all have guarantors. 

So that means that all the other guarantors are guarantors for your daughters rent.

Landlords will sometimes let one or two tenants get away with having no guarantor - if they already have lots of other guarantors. (So you may not have needed to offer 3 months rent in advance.)


So you might get some grief from all the guarantors, if they're asked to pay your daughter's rent.

Just ignore if they ask you, as it's not you, it's your daughter. 

lookstraightahead

Marvel1 said:

eddddy said:

olgadapolga said:
I am not a guarantor (nor is my husband)...

...the tenancy was jointly and several ....
...whereas the other occupants all have guarantors. 

So that means that all the other guarantors are guarantors for your daughters rent.

Landlords will sometimes let one or two tenants get away with having no guarantor - if they already have lots of other guarantors. (So you may not have needed to offer 3 months rent in advance.)


So you might get some grief from all the guarantors, if they're asked to pay your daughter's rent.

Just ignore if they ask you, as it's not you, it's your daughter. 

That's nice 😳. So ignore the other parents who are going to end up paying for the op's daughter. 

I had no choice but to be a guarantor along with 5 other parents, unless DD lived in a hovel. Thankfully all paid rent.

Op, I agree with your sentiment. I have a daughter a bit older than you. However, I would probably end up paying it because it will really come back to haunt her if you're not careful. And maybe she's listening too much to bad advice. I know this is not right, but maybe it would be better for your own peace of mind. My daughter in student days sometimes had too much month left at the end of the money. Believe me after putting her right ourselves she has learnt from it, and at 22 and working full time living independently has a spreadsheet of her income and outgoings. The lesson might be the best thing - show her how she should behave. Maybe! 

dimbo61

Hopefully the Landlord can find a replacement student tenant in January.
Many overseas student arrive in the UK and London to study who are willing to live in the student house.
Your daughter could be proactive and place an advert with the University accomodation office for her room.

https://www.manchesterstudenthomes.com/Accommodation

Now above is the website for Manchester Student Homes which is a University owned and managed by the further education Universities in Manchester.
I am sure all the big London universities will also have a website

olgadapolga

Marvel1 said:

I would leave your daughter to it, you tried, only way now is she learns actions have consequences.

Exactly. She's an adult. I'm already supporting her fully and I can't afford to bail her out for the rent as well. 

There's exactly no hope of the guarantors contacting me as I don't know them from Adam and even if they did somehow get in touch with me, they would be directed to my daughter.

Harsh as it may sound, it's not my problem. 

I just wanted to make her (and her dad, come to that) understand that her thoughts on this issue are legally and morally wrong. I am disgusted by her attitude to it. 

pinkshoes

olgadapolga said:

Exactly. She's an adult. I'm already supporting her fully and I can't afford to bail her out for the rent as well. 

There's exactly no hope of the guarantors contacting me as I don't know them from Adam and even if they did somehow get in touch with me, they would be directed to my daughter.

Harsh as it may sound, it's not my problem. 

I just wanted to make her (and her dad, come to that) understand that her thoughts on this issue are legally and morally wrong. I am disgusted by her attitude to it. 

Morally, if I were in your shoes and my daughter refused to pay, I would pay it on her behalf so the guarantors didn't have to pay, then deduct the amount from her Christmas/Birthday presents or any sort of allowance until the debt was paid!

You are absolutely doing the right thing making her face up to her consequences.