Choosing an Agent or Landlord

Making a good choice of agent or landlord is important, as it could make a considerable difference to your student experience if you need to have repairs done.

Unfortunately there have been cases of students paying money for properties that don’t exist - has your landlord/agent got a physical office? Do they have a website? Do they give clear details about who they are, or is it vague and short on detail?

With the introduction of the Tenant Fees Act, from 1 June 2019, the only payments that landlords or letting agents can charge to tenants for new contracts are: 

• Rent 
• A refundable tenancy deposit capped at no more than 5 weeks’ rent (where the total annual rent is less than £50,000), or 6 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is £50,000 or above.  
• A refundable holding deposit (to reserve a property) capped at no more than 1 week’s rent.  
• Payments associated with early termination of the tenancy, when requested by the tenant.  
• Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV Licence and Council Tax.  
• A default fee for late payment of rent and the replacement of a lost key/security device giving access to the property, where required under a tenancy agreement. 

Full details of the Act can be found HERE. 

If you feel you are being asked to pay unnecessary fees or have been required to pay fees since 1 June 2019, please contact the SU Advice Centre for help. 
 

Other useful tips

• Talk to other students who have rented in the area before and find out about different agents/landlords. 

• Check to see if the agent is a member of a professional body - if they are, they will have a code of conduct and professional standards. The main professional bodies are:

• National Approved Lettings Scheme (NALS)
• Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)
• UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA)
• National Association of Estate Agents(NAEA)

• All Letting Agents must be a member of a redress scheme so that if you have a dispute with your agent there is a complaints procedure they must comply with. The three approved schemes are:

• The Property Ombudsman (TPO)
• The Property Redress Scheme (PRS)

For more information on redress schemes, including advice on checking which scheme your agent belongs to, see Shelter.

• It is a criminal offence for an agent to:

• Charge you for registering your details

- or-

• Charge for giving you information on properties.

If you are in any doubt about the agent and the way you are being treated, find another one – if the agent is not acting fairly towards you when you are looking for accommodation, they are likely to be worse when you are a tenant!

For more information on choosing an agent, see Shelter.