You and your landlord

There’s a group on Facebook at the moment called, with all the subtlety of a house brick, ‘Student Landlords are Hideous People’. The group, along with similarly titled ‘Uni Landlords are Sh*te’, suggests that many students’ first foray into private renting is not a happy experience.

Most of us have some nightmare housing stories: holes in windows ‘fixed’ with clingfilm, ongoing wars with vermin infestations, unexpected shower facilities provided by broken roofs. And nearly every student is at risk of such problems, with an estimated 90% of the student population living in the private rented sector at some point.

So what’s a student to do? Other articles on this website will help you get up to speed with what your rights as tenants are. But perhaps one of the most worthwhile things to do, before things have already gone wrong, is to foster good relationships with your landlord. Knowing what they expect from you and approaching your relationship in the right way might mean everyone finds the renting experience a little bit easier.

As Paulo Mendes, who owns four houses in Birmingham with 21 student tenants, says: “Happy tenants means they pay the rent on time, might stay for another year, or recommend it to prospective tenants looking around the house.”

Your responsibilities

There are a number of things that you should manage without your landlord’s intervention. For example, the smaller tasks in the house, such as mending fused lights, unblocking sinks, cleaning the windows and putting the bins out should all be carried out by the tenants.

Check in your contract too about the garden if you have one. It may be your responsibility to keep that to a reasonable standard.

Most responsibilities that are down to you are based on common sense: Securing the house by keeping windows and doors locked, not damaging the property, keeping noise levels reasonable, and reporting all repairs to the landlord. Remember that the landlord only has the responsibility to carry out repairs once they have been informed of the need.

When to complain

Mendes has found students to be willing to complain if things aren’t quite right. “I used to complain quite a lot when I was a student, and thought I was the exception. What I’ve found out since is that I definitely wasn’t.” Complaining if there are things wrong with the house is something no landlord should begrudge. But are you sure you’re making reasonable requests? Says Mendes: “There are people out there who think a student house is a hotel – it’s really not!”

The way to avoid making unreasonable demands is to be aware when you look round the house that this is how it will be when you move in. Signing the contract and then demanding new carpets or kitchen is unlikely to endear you to your landlord. That said, there’s no harm in asking, just don’t assume it’s your right to get whatever you ask for. As Mendes puts it: “It’s up to you to make the house a home.”

However, the landlord does have a responsibility keep the building in good condition, maintaining gas, electricity, water and heating equipment, so if you have problems in these areas, it is important you let your landlord or letting agency know as soon as possible.