Issue 151

Living a nightmare

29th January 2007

The Advice centre is there and can help students having problems with their landlords. Unfortunately some students are badly treated by their landlords and neglected.

Owen Morris, a third year, studies history and lives in a badly maintained house. He said;

"This property is in a pretty poor condition and we have complaints that include a fire door not shutting; a mouse and ant problem; damp and cracks on every wall, and a window being replaced with cardboard and held together with Duct Tape to name just a few."

It gets worse, as he explains: "The linoleum in the kitchen has come up and some of the kitchen drawers don't have fronts. Our conservatory roof is cracked and leaks rain on to our washing and our drains get blocked all the time, flooding the conservatory."

The Advice centre's Chris Ravenhill, Welfare Adviser at the Students' Union's Advice Centre said "If the house is covered by the recent Houses of Multiple Occupation legislation Owen will find he has more rights than previously. HMO regulations require a landlord to obtain a license from the local authority for any property with 5 or more tenants or three floors or more. These regulations are stringent and require landlords to come up to certain standards. It is an offence to fail to comply with any condition of the licence."

Owen's situation is unfortunately common amongst students who are not always aware of their rights or willing to enforce them assertively. Chris added: "The housing legislation takes into consideration physiological requirements, including cold and damp and psychological requirements, which could be, overcrowding, noise and light and protection against infection, including pests, water supply and sanitation."

Elenor is a second year and she studies law. Her lettings agency caused her numerous problems. She felt they weren't listening to her concerns because she was a student, saying:

"It is because we are students that they think we don't know our rights. My phone calls to them have left me frustrated and angry as they were rude and patronising to me regarding the carpet and the curtains - but when my boyfriend's father rang they started to move and fixed up curtains."

After pestering the agency they managed to get a pane of glass replaced, only to discover that their boiler was faulty and releasing carbon monoxide into their home, which made them both ill. The window should have been a vent. They have received no form of apology from the agency for their health problems.

Elenor's boyfriend commented that "The media has recently highlighted a few incidents of people being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from faulty boilers; the symptoms are similar to those of the flu. A current gas certificate must be obtained and be produced when asked for by the tenant."

Many students find that when something goes wrong landlords mysteriously go missing and become uncontactable. The Advice centre said that "Lack of response from landlords and agents is a common problem. There are various ways to get their attention, the most obvious being withholding of rent. This is a difficult area, as non-payment of rent is grounds for eviction. Seek advice before taking this type of action."

However, it's not all bad news. "The housing regulations are changing dramatically over the next couple of years and the local authorities are pressurising management companies and landlords who continue to ignore or flout the regulations to literally clean up their act."

That's good to know, but the advice centre state that "If you have any housing issues, you should seek advice. You can call in at the Students' Union Advice Centre in Fulton House, go to Swansea CAB who provide an excellent service or contact the Environment Office of Swansea City Council."

Read up on your rights and don't be afraid to enforce them, or ask for help.

Charlie Duff