When the time comes to seek and move into student housing in Newcastle for the first time, the last thing any new student really wants to do is think about all the potential problems they may encounter. Instead, it’s far preferable to think of all the positives and fantastic times ahead, of which there will undoubtedly be plenty. Still, it’s only by acknowledging and understanding the kinds of common problems faced by those living in student accommodation that an individual can arm themselves with the knowledge required to deal with them, should it be necessary.
So far from simply stirring feelings of intimidation and panic, what follows is a quick introduction to five common student housing problems in order to outline how they can in fact be solved quickly, easily and without disastrous consequences:
Housemates Bailing
So you decided to go into shared housing with one or more of your friends, in order to split the expenses equally. Always a fantastic start of university life – until of course one of your housemates decides to leave out of the blue. When this happens, the rest of the housemates may be contractually obliged to continue paying the full rental cost and bills for the place, significantly increasing how much each individual will then have to pay.
In terms of solutions, it’s important to immediately speak to your landlord in order to explain the situation in full and ask for their advice. If you yourself cannot quickly come up with another person to move into the property, chances are the landlord will be able to do so on your behalf. Suffice to say, if you happen to be the person making the decision to bail early, you really need to let your housemates know as far in advance as possible.
Lost Deposits
Not getting your deposit back when leaving a student property can be frustrating, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. First up, you might want to think carefully about whether or not the retention of your deposit was justified – did you clearly break any of the terms you originally agreed to? If the answer is yes, it’s tough…walk away. However, if you believe that the deposit is being withheld unfairly, you should immediately speak to your student services department in order to be put in touch with the relevant authorities. This is also the same approach that should be taken if you do not believe the terms in the contract were fair in the first place.
Bothersome Landlords
Some landlords actually believe that they have the right to wander in and out of their properties without giving their tenants any warning whatsoever. This is however absolutely not the case at all, though the law is rather sketchy on the subject. Any landlord worth dealing with will include a clause in the contract whereby they are required to give a minimum of 24-hours’ notice if and when they wish to pay their properties a visit. If this is contravened, the landlord is breaking the terms of the contract which is of course unacceptable. Once again, in any instance where you feel you are being harassed or unnecessarily disturbed by your landlord, the best place to turn is your student services department, or the student accommodation agency through which you made the booking in the first place.
Ignored Repairs
All landlords are legally required to not only ensure that things like electricity, plumbing, heating and drainage are provided in the first place, but are also kept in acceptable working order. As such, when and where a problem is reported that in any way affects the tenants’ basic standard of living, it should be treated as an emergency. This is precisely why it is a good idea to not only speak directly to the landlord immediately upon encountering a problem, but to also describe the problem in writing so that you have a hard-copy record. More often than not, delayed repairs tend to be simple oversights and will be addressed with gentle reminders. If on the other hand repairs are clearly being ignored by the landlord, they could in fact be breaking the law along with their contractual obligations.
Rats and Mice
Last but not least, contrary to popular belief it is not in fact the responsibility of a property’s landlord to do absolutely anything whatsoever if the property they are letting out appears to also be the home of rats or mice. If they are in any way professional and responsible, they will of course make all necessary efforts to help combat the trouble and repair any damage caused. However, when it comes to problems with rats and mice it is actually the local council that should be contacted as the problem may originate outside the property of the landlord. In such instances therefore, it’s important to bring the problem to the attention of your landlord, your student advisory service and the local council.