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 For those of you considering renting a property that is off campus, we recommend that you use Unipol Housing Ltd. LTU are officially affiliated with Unipol because we recognise the quality of service they provide for our students. They increase student welfare by vetting landlords and properties, ensuring standards are met, and publishing a detailed checklist of the features that individual properties have. You can read feedback from students about specific landlords, and you can scan through properties in your price range, observing the star rating that Unipol have given. Log on to http://www.unipol.org.uk/Leeds for more information.
 We will be holding a housing conference in January to help you with your house hunting. It is normal that after finishing your first year of study, people move off campus into shared homes, and this talk will be a chance to hear some sound advice. Renting houses is complex in terms of the legislation that is involved. Here are a few of LTU’s golden rules and check lists:
- Ignore anyone who tries to convince you that houses are running out.
- The people who show you round properties are salesmen, and many of the contracts they sell are very restricting for the customer.
- So always read the contract very carefully before signing, and look out to see if it is a joint tenancy agreement or if it’s based on you renting as a single tenant.
- Choose your housemates carefully- living with people in halls is different to living with them all the time.
- Is the house safe? –look for a burglar alarm.
- Look for smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers/fire blankets.
- Consider the living space - how many people per bathroom? Is the shower powerful? Is there enough space for everyone to hang washing?-could you all sit and watch TV? - etc
- Think about the distance from your house to the bus stop, train station, shops, Uni etc…
- Is there a safe place to park your car?
- How will the rent be paid? Are your bills included in the rent? What is covered?
- Will all the tenants be students? If not, the HOUSE not the PERSON will be eligible for council tax, the annual price will depend on the area.
By law and in the interests of safety and efficiency, gas appliances must be serviced annually by CORGI registered engineers. Make sure that the landlord can provide you with a current gas safety certificate as you have a right to see this. If you have any problems with gas you can contact Transco on 0800 111 999.
It is a good idea and is not too expensive to have your own personal possessions insured. It is often worth taking out additional cover for bikes, computers and larger or more expensive electrical equipment. Endsleigh offers great student deals under their insurance policies. It’s so easy to say “It will never happen to me” but don’t take that risk, if you do have something stolen and you’re not insured there is nothing the Uni or Students’ Union can do.
Room security in College halls is simply a matter of vigilance. Watch out for anyone who looks suspicious and always lock your door and close your windows when you leave a room; even if it is only for a short time. We have a comprehensive CCTV system on site which is backed up by a 24-hour security team. So hopefully you will feel save and sound! |
