House of Horrors @ Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Don't end up in a House of Horrors!

Don't rush into signing your contract - LBSU Advice have got you covered. Avoid a ghoulish gaff by browsing the official Unipol list of approved housing, and pick up a housing pack from SU receptions at City or Headingley.

You can even find out about Rate your Landlord and get your contract checked with us, or get in touch at suadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Click below to read nightmarish tales and advice on how to deal with disrepair, deposit disputes and ghosting landlords.

Horror Stories

Ghosted by landlord

"Ceiling leaks in rain, mould downstairs rooms, landlord didn’t reply to any emails."
"Landlord is unresponsive to messages about messages."
"Landlord not responsive to complaints, need to constantly email/call them and threaten to take legal action."

LBSU Advice: If anyone finds themselves in this situation make sure you keep a copy of all the emails and then bring them in with you to the SU Advice Service along with your tenancy agreement and we can see if we can get in touch with the landlord to get them to take some action about the issue you are having.

Water, water, everywhere!

"There was a burst pipe in my house which flooded some rooms. The landlord concluded that it was the tenants fault who had left the tap open, to which he charge all 3 of us a combined fee of £800 to pay the maintenance guy. He took it from our deposits."

LBSU Advice: This is a tricky one, if it was down to one of the tenants and you had a Joint Tenancy Agreement, then this could well be the case. However, if there was any evidence to show this was not any tenants fault, then the SU Advice Service could advise on how you could dispute that deduction with the relevant Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

Desposit deductions and inventories

"No lights on the top two floors, all cupboard were broke... When we moved in the toilet was blocked and we had a mouldy shower curtain."
"Landlady broke the fridge door off, then sent a message saying I broke it and was trying to blame her."
"£50 taken from deposit for carpet damage which was not my fault as I reported the damage when I moved in but they lost it."

LBSU Advice: Its important that when you first move in to a property that you do an inventory (with photos) and send a copy to the landlord and keep a copy for yourself. This way, at the end of the tenancy, you can prove that you reported any issues that they then subsequently try to charge you for. Either way, if you want to dispute a deposit deduction contact the SU Advice Service and we can advise you on putting your case together.

How We Can Help

Leeds Beckett Students’ Union Advice Service can offer you advice on all sorts of housing related issues including any problems you might be having with your landlord, your deposit or any disrepairs you might have.

Just contact us at suadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk or call in to speak to an adviser during one of our Drop In Sessions at City or Headingley.

Once you make contact with us we will:

• Find out more about your issue and any concerns.
• Advise you on the options you have to try to resolve those issues.
• Advise you of your rights and responsibilities.
• Help you draw up a plan of action and assist you with any documentation or correspondence where appropriate.

For more information about the different things we can advise you on visit our main Housing section on the website.

Share Your Horror Story

Do you want to share your housing horror story with others or give us some of your top house hunting tips? Form is below!

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Rate Your Landlord

Why not help others who are house hunting not to end up in a House of Horrors, by rating your landlord here.

Tips to Avoid the Horror

Ok, so we can’t give you any guaranteed ways to make sure you move in to a nice property with nice people and have a trouble free year 😕 but we can give you some top ideas to increase the chances of that happening:

•   Get your contract checked by the SU Advice Service before you sign or pay anything!*
•   Wait until Unipol release their new House Hunting list on the 19th Jan 2019
•   Find out what other people think and visit Rate your Landlord
•   Pick up a free House Hunting guide from the 5th of Nov from either of the SU Help Desks at City or Headingley.
•   Check out our website pages on house hunting to get some top tips and find out more about what you should consider when thinking about house hunting and you will be in the best position you can be.

If you have any questions about house hunting or if you have any problems with your accommodation, get in touch with the SU Advice Service.

You can also download our handy renting checklist, guide on safe renting and house hunting info pack.

* If you come to get your agreement checked between the 19th Jan 2019 and the 8th April 2019, you can enter in to a prize draw to win £50 amazon voucher! 1 in 10 chance to win!

Email: suadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Phone: 0113 812 8400

Drop in times: City and Headingley campuses.

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