Private landlords have come under intense criticism by a number of students who have returned to university.
A group of second-year students living on Hull Road returned from summer to find unexpected scaffolding covering their house. On entering the property, the students discovered the house was a wreck and completely filthy.
The students’ housemates had effectively been squatting in the living room of the property throughout the summer, failing to tell the other students that building work was continuing throughout the house.
The landlords had informed the students when they originally signed the contract on the house that building work would be occurring, although the students were under the impression that this would entail only a loft conversion.
The work was supposed to take four to six weeks over July and August and therefore would have been complete for the second years to move into their new home in October, ready for the term to begin.
It was also agreed upon signing the contract that the tenants would not pay any rent for the first month (July) due to the proposed construction works. Once July had passed, four of the respective six tenants began to pay their rent, as agreed. However, the two students living in the lounge of the property did not pay rent for the entirety of summer due to the building works.
The lead tenant had emailed the landlords over the summer to enquire as to how the work was progressing, but received no reply. The landlords are not local to York and have property across the UK.
It has since been agreed that the students will get a rebate for the rent they paid over the summer. It has also been decided that the builders will not step back inside the house due to the mess previously made. However, the tenants stressed to Vision that the head builder ‘Les’ had been a great point of call considering the landlords are not local and that since the original “shock”, progress on the property has been made.
A third-year History student returned from a year studying abroad in America to discover the house he was to move into was a disgrace. Two students have bedrooms in an ‘out-house’, in which the roof had collapsed over summer; the roof was fixed but the rooms remain covered in mould. In addition, the bathroom carpet inside the house is also covered in mould.
The basement has been blocked since the landlord threw rubbish down it, and the flooring throughout the house is uneven and, according to the student, “frankly unsafe”. He was given two mattress-toppers instead of a mattress and told it was a “valid formula”. The landlord refused to replace the mattress toppers, forcing the student to buy his own bed and mattress.
Every year, students are faced with accommodation horror stories due to unexpected building work and unsympathetic landlords. This is detrimental to students, whose ability to study can be “really hampered” by the inaction of disinterested landlords.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students Jane Grenville said: “The University provides a list of rooms for rent in the private sector which is available via the Accommodation Office. Through Student Support Services, we also provide free advice and support for students who are experiencing difficulties with their landlords. The York Law Clinic, run by students under the supervision of staff in the Law School, is another port of call for those who need help.”