Students are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to housing. It is most students’ first time living “on their own”, and so they can be unsure what to expect, what their rights are, and how to deal with problems when they arise. This website is dedicated to making sure that students know:
- What to look for in a house before agreeing to a contract
- What to do, and not do, when agreeing to a contract
- What to do if problems arise
This website is split into three main sections: the Jargon Buster, the FAQ section, and the assorted action pages.
The Jargon Buster is our glossary, containing a list of terms associated with housing that you may not know the meaning of. It's alphabetised, and all the pages are cross-linked with each other, so either look for a specific page or just read through. The FAQ section goes over many problems or situations you could face, and gives you ways to deal with them e.g. what to do if your landlord isn't doing repairs. Have a quick scan through it and see if any of those pages affect you. Of the other pages, the one most important now is the House-hunting page. It goes over the list of the ten things to do before signing a contract, has a link to our Housemates Wanted forum, and has fact-pages on both Coventry and Leamington for you to have a look at.
This website is brand-spanking new, so some of the pages may not be up yet, but they should be come the end of week 1. This hub links off to all the other housing pages we've got. Happy house-hunting!
Sami Wannell
Welfare Officer 2009/10
Housing Hub
This section is broken down into many different pieces, but two elements run through all of these housing advice pages - the FAQ section and the glossary.
The FAQ section contains questions like "How do I make my landlord do repairs?" and "Am I eligible for legal aid?", and this is linked to from other pages where it is necessary to either explain a certain process e.g. getting your landlord to perform repairs.
The glossary defines loads of terms that you may not understand from the realm of housing. If you see a word underlined in green - i.e.
accreditation - then it is linking to a glossary definition.
Explore me...
Useful links
Laws used
Statute of Frauds 1677
Accommodation Agencies Act 1953
Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957
Misrepresentation Act 1967
Defective Premises Act 1972
Protection from Eviction Act 1977
Rent Act 1977
Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984
Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
Housing Act 1985
Landlord and Tenant Act 1987
Housing Act 1988
Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Housing Act 1996
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999
Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
Housing Act 2004
The Office of Public Sector Information – containing all Acts of Parliament, and all regulations
The British and Irish Legal Information Institute – containing all High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court case reports
Ministry of Justice website – going over the procedure to engage in civil and criminal law proceedings
Community Legal Advice – they run a free initial legal advice phone line
UUK/Guild HE Code of Conduct –useful information for students about the Code of Practice for the Management of Student Accommodation (that all halls of residence are signed up to)
Advice sites
Shelter's advice pages – a real, real wealth of information on anything to do with housing (from eviction or disrepair, to renting or complaints)
The Citizens Advice Bureau’s online Advice Guide – loads and loads of information about not just housing, but many other topics too.
DirectGov – a one-stop-shop for all things "public-sector", going over where to go (and giving information) on anything from student finance to Tenancy Deposit Schemes
NUS site explaining the Housing Act 2004
Landlord Zone – a “free access web portal for landlords, agents & tenants” with lots of information about housing law and contracts
Letlink / The Letting Centre – resources and support for residential letting and property management in the UK