Housing Advice
Primarily we aim to educate and empower students to cope with various housing themes such as disrepair, deposits, housing standards, or how to interact with your Landlord. Rent is one of your largest expenditures and can sometimes become problematic. As such, please see what we can do for our members below;
What we can do:
- Direct you to the Unipol Leeds website where you find approved and reliable landlords and lettings agents and view their available properties.
- Provide realistic advice about searching for properties in Leeds, and things to watch out for.
- Share advice and tips from real student Landlords.
- Give advice about when best to start looking for the property during the academic year.
- Provide advice about good practice and top tips before, during and after moving into your new property.
- Advice about Guarantors and organisations that can help.
- Provide a source of advice if you encounter any issues with your landlord/letting agent:
- Agreements on repairs to the property.
- Health hazards such as mould and other building issues.
- Withhold of deposits and claims of damage and cleaning fees (including using legal deposit holding companies).
- Advice on different tenancy agreements, and what to do if someone leaves their tenancy agreement before it is due to end.
What we don't do:
- Direct or recommend students to individual landlords/letting agents in Leeds and the surrounding Horsforth area of the University.
- Operate a register of “approved” landlords/letting agents.
- Broker letting agreements on properties on behalf of students.
- Check tenancy agreements for legal compliance.
- Source accommodation for students
- Become directly involved in disputes between students in tenancy agreements, and/or with landlords/letting agents. (Other than meeting students to advise on good practice and possible solutions).