Repairs And Maintenance
Kris Rao is an official provider of services to meet student welfare needs at Reading University. He has produced a range of informational leaflets and booklets for the international students who study there.
REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
Landlord’s responsibility
The basic rule of thumb for repairs is that if you break it, you fix it. If something breaks down because it’s old and hasn’t been repaired in years, then it is probably the landlord’s responsibility. Although the landlord does have to ensure that you have hot water and heating, if the water pipes burst over the winter because you did not put the heating on, then again it is your responsibility. If you go home over Christmas, the best rule is to leave the heating on all the time at about 10°C, so that the pipes will not freeze.
Your landlord has various legal responsibilities. These include meeting all health and safety standards as required by British law; maintaining the structure of the building; maintaining all fixtures and fittings. It is his or her responsibility to keep in repair and proper working order the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity and all sanitation. If, as part of the tenancy agreement, you have rented from her or him a TV, cooker, washing machine etc. then she or he has a duty to ensure that these are in good working order. If anything goes wrong with the above, he or she should repair it within 48 hours. Phone the landlord and tell her or him, and follow it up with a letter. Keep copies of all correspondence with the landlord regarding any repairs.
When things go wrong, give your landlord a reasonable amount of time (around 14–21 days) for the work to be done. If the repairs are not done, contact the housing advice centre, Citizens Advice Bureau or your Student Advice Centre for further advice. Do not withhold rent. It is illegal and the landlord could have you evicted from the property.
Tenant’s responsibility
As a tenant you have certain responsibilities. You are responsible for repairs to anything you break, and this will include any fixtures and fittings broken because of your actions.
It is your responsibility to keep any sinks and toilets unblocked, to turn off the water when you go away, to keep the house and its contents clean, to take all possible action to keep the pipes from freezing in winter and to notify the landlord of all necessary repairs as soon as possible.
In your contract there will be a ‘noise clause’. This is a fairly new amendment to the law, and can potentially cause problems. Befriend your neighbours quickly, because if they complain and it is upheld in court, you could be left homeless almost immediately. Your neighbours are entitled to quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their property.
Harassment
The landlord has restricted access to your home during your tenancy, and you have the legal right to a quiet and peaceful enjoyment of the property. You are entitled to ‘peacefully hold and enjoy the premises during the tenancy without any interruption by the landlord or his agent’. This means the landlord cannot be constantly popping in and telling you what to do. Nor can she or he come round to threaten you.
A landlord must give 24 hours’ notice if she or he wishes to visit the property for a valid reason, e.g. repairs, once every three or four months to check it over or to show new tenants around. If it is a shared tenancy the landlord does not have a right to the keys and you can change the locks. If you have a single or individual contract the landlord has a right to hold the keys to the main doors but not your individual bedrooms.
Moving out
If you want to move out before your contract expires, seek advice from the housing advice centre or your Student Advice Centre. Give notice to your landlord, even on a fixed term contract, to enable your landlord to get the deposit organised. Tidy and clean the house and, with the landlord, go through the exit inventory. Again, remember to get the inventory signed by both parties and take photos as proof as necessary. Do not forget to inform the utility companies that you are leaving the property and take meter readings. Lastly, leave a forwarding address with the landlord or new tenants and make arrangements for your mail to be forwarded with the Royal Mail.
GLOSSARY OF ACCOMMODATION TERMS
Break clause: A clause that permits a tenant or landlord to end a tenancy agreement at a particular period of time during the tenancy.
Contract: A legally binding agreement between two parties.
CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers): CORGI is the national supervisory body for gas safety in the UK.
Council tax: A local tax on all properties within the borough. Each property falls within a valuation band and the council tax bill is decided according to the valuation band the property is in and the number of people living in it. Council tax rates change annually and the year runs from 1 April.
Damp: Mainly caused by condensation inside the house. Damp inside the house encourages the growth of moulds and mites which can cause severe respiratory problems.
Deposit: A sum of money held as a security for a period of time. The deposit may be repaid with or without interest.
Gas certificate: A certificate that guarantees that all gas-operated appliances and the gas supply in the house are safe. The certificate is issued after checks carried out by a CORGI registered installer. The certificate is valid for a year.
Rent: A regular payment by a tenant to a landlord for use of the property over a period of time. This can be weekly, monthly or quarterly.
USEFUL WEBSITES
The Host UK website has complete information on host availability, locations, the application process, and general information for students wishing to live with a host family.
The website of the Citizens Advice Bureau has a section devoted completely to housing advice. The site has a search facility where you can get further details on local housing advice in your area.
www.accommodationsforstudents.com
A privately operated website that has details of properties available in the major university towns and cities in the UK. The site has student reviews on shops, transport and other facilities within each locality for every town.
This is a private website that advertises accommodation for students in London, Brighton, Cranfield, Leeds, Bradford and Bretton. The website also has a student-to-student notice-board which allows students to communicate with other students with similar backgrounds and requirements e.g. ethnic groupings and language requirements. There is also a section on short let for students wanting to leave and those wanting to find replacement flatmates.
The website of the gas regulatory body of the UK. The site offers a search facility for local CORGI registered installers as well as useful information on gas safety and the law.
The website of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office that has several downloadable booklets for advice on renting houses in the UK.
A government-run website that has a section on house renting. The site also offers advice on problems usually associated with tenants and landlords.
Energywatch is the supervisory body for all gas and electricity companies in the UK. The website provides free and impartial advice to consumers on a wide range of issues including making savings on gas and electricity bills. The website also has a complaints facility for problems related to energy suppliers.
An independent website that compares the prices of all utility services in your area. The website also provides you with the best prices, special offers and services from every utility supplier.
Shelter is a non-profit organisation that advises on housing issues. The website has a series of downloadable booklets giving detailed information and advice on a range of housing issues.
Another privately operated website that offers search facilities for student accommodation in all major university towns and cities.
This is the website of the National Association of Letting Agents. The national directory has a search facility for all letting agents and links to their own websites in your locality.
