University is a very exciting time in a young person’s life. Whether you lived in halls for a year or went straight to a house instead, this is probably the first experience you will have with the rental market, landlords and tenancy.
And while this can be very exciting for them, it can also be incredibly stressful. Most young adults will have had little to no experience with property, which can often lead to them not knowing their rights as tenants when moving into their student home.
Join DJP Solicitors as we discuss some of the rights and responsibilities that you should be aware of when moving into your first university home.
Fire Safety
A landlord is required by law to ensure that you’re protected against fire hazards in your new student house. This means there must be adequate means of escape in the event of a fire, as well as at least one smoke alarm on every floor of the building.
Carbon monoxide detectors must be in every room that has a working fireplace or burning stove, and ensure you know who is in charge of maintaining detectors and alarms to make sure they are working and never run out of battery.
Decoration
While you might want to make the house as homely as possible by decorating it, this is often not allowed. You will need your landlord's permission to make any changes, such as painting the walls. However, most landlords will require you to restore the house to its original condition at the end of the tenancy.
This means you should bear in mind damaging the walls with nails, blue tack or other hanging apparatus. You may have money from your deposit deducted at the end for this damage.
Repairs
Your landlord is responsible for most major repairs, such as the structure of the property, bathrooms, pipes, wiring, heating, hot water and the safety of gas and electrical appliances. However minor repairs are often down to the tenants, such as changing light bulbs and fuses. It should also be noted that any damage caused by yourself will often need to be sorted by you. This could involve your landlord sorting services to fix something, but you are paying the bill between residents.
Tenancy Legal Advice From DJP Solicitors
Here at DJP Solicitors, we are able to help resolve tenancy disputes and offer tenancy legal advice from our base in Aberdeen. There are multiple issues that we can assist you with, including breach of contract, threats of eviction notices and general legal advice.
If you need any information or assistance with any aspect of tenancy law, get in touch today.
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