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Advice about student accommodation

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Mariahardy99
Mariahardy99 Posts: 1 Newbie
in House buying, renting & selling
My niece is renting a room in a private house while at university. It includes use of the kitchen and washing facilities. The landlords have decided to fit a new kitchen starting from 2nd December . They have informed my niece that there will be no kitchen or washing facilities until 20th December, and offered her £50 off her rent. I don't feel that is sufficient compensation- there won't be any kitchen provisions in the meantime and she has to store everything she has in her bedroom.
Can anyone give me some advice on what she can do? Thanks
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  • p00hsticks
    p00hsticks Posts: 12,822 Forumite
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    edited 18 November 2019 at 5:37PM
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    I have a feeling that your niece (or one of the other house occupants) may have already posted on this board and got some replies, because I've seen a thread about a remarkably similar situation recently. Unfortunately I can't locate it at the moment....


    Edit: found it !
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=6070019
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    Here's the other thread : https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=6070019
  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,745 Forumite
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    Although they do seem to be focussing on how the tenant can manage with no kitchen which I do feel is missing the point somewhat.
    £50 compensation for that level of inconvenience is a derisory amount.
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    elsien wrote: »
    £50 compensation for that level of inconvenience is a derisory amount.
    We don't know what the rent for a room is. It may be a substantial proportion of the rent for that period.

    If this is a student property, then doesn't term end about a week after the 2nd...?
  • lookstraightahead
    lookstraightahead Posts: 5,540 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »
    We don't know what the rent for a room is. It may be a substantial proportion of the rent for that period.

    If this is a student property, then doesn't term end about a week after the 2nd...?

    Usually about £500 pcm

    Usually term ends about the middle of December but a student pays for a whole year. Ridiculous but true. My daughter has had to pay July to June even though she's only there term time October to May next year.
  • lookstraightahead
    lookstraightahead Posts: 5,540 Forumite
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    elsien wrote: »
    Although they do seem to be focussing on how the tenant can manage with no kitchen which I do feel is missing the point somewhat.
    £50 compensation for that level of inconvenience is a derisory amount.

    I don't get that either. Nothing to do with managing. Great ideas about how you can boil an egg using only positive thoughts ...
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    Sure, but if the student is unlikely to be in residence for more than a week or so, then £50 is almost half the rent for that period.
  • Bexgrossman
    Bexgrossman Posts: 143 Forumite
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    lookstraightahead wrote: »
    Usually about £500 pcm

    Usually term ends about the middle of December but a student pays for a whole year. Ridiculous but true. My daughter has had to pay July to June even though she's only there term time October to May next year.


    £500 would be on the lower end.

    I don’t understand why people think that they should only pay for the time they are at uni. The landlord has a property that s/he needs money for. Unless you are complaining about the cost of the property, when compared to other non student areas, fair enough. However an 18 year old be provided with accommodation for 52 weeks to cover placement, over seas students, those unable to go home etc - sounds reasonable.

    Btw I think student accommodation is terrible. En-suite accommodation at high prices - demand is there. Why put yourself in more debt! My siblings shared rooms in their first year of uni.
  • Bexgrossman
    Bexgrossman Posts: 143 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »
    We don't know what the rent for a room is. It may be a substantial proportion of the rent for that period.

    If this is a student property, then doesn't term end about a week after the 2nd...?

    From memory mine would end a few days before 25th - so 20th this year. There will be exams over this period and coursework etc, but again I was handing in work during January. Depends on course, I did an arts degree, enough said.
  • lookstraightahead
    lookstraightahead Posts: 5,540 Forumite
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    edited 18 November 2019 at 11:49PM
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    Bexgrossman wrote: »
    £500 would be on the lower end.

    I don’t understand why people think that they should only pay for the time they are at uni. The landlord has a property that s/he needs money for. Unless you are complaining about the cost of the property, when compared to other non student areas, fair enough. However an 18 year old be provided with accommodation for 52 weeks to cover placement, over seas students, those unable to go home etc - sounds reasonable.

    Because landlords still think they can go into these properties during the summer and treat them as if they are empty. They want to do check outs early, show people round in February for the July and so on. I went with my daughter to her new accommodation in August and the landlord was in the property without having told them - none of their stuff was there but so what? There is no gap between check out and next check in, things are rarely mended and things don't work properly. For this the landlord gets about £3k per month (and as you say, it's at least).
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