Hello, just moved into (well 3 weeks ago) a house in Stafford. It's a student house and I'm renting a room. Now I'm tied into a 12 month contract, however this room is terrible. I don't mean the decoration or anything. It is infested with bed bugs.

The mattress is fucking rank, so I'm not staying in there, I'm sleeping on the floor. However, these little bastards are in the carpet too so I'm itching like fuck in bed.

Where do i stand with this? Surely I'm in well within my rights to cancel the contract if it's not fit for living in?

Any help? Thanks.

 

Get environmental health or a professional in to substantiate your claim.

I doubt you can get out the contract easily. You will be required to give the landlord opportunity to correct the defects. certain defects require certain time scales and if they are not done then the landlord would be in breach of contract usually.

What contract are you on??? The type of contract affects what laws apply and what rights you have as a tenant.

 

Fuck knows - but I've not recieved a copy of it.

It's a contract to say I'll pay for 12 months. No months notice bollocks or anything.

There can only be so long before sorting it. For example - tonight I am not sleeping, (no where to sleep without being irritated, so I'm spending the night in the library.

This can't go on for days on end, or I'll be bolloxed. Tomorrow I'm going home to my parents to stay!

 

i got a spare room in stoke if you dont mind an airbed for the time being

does your landlord live in the house??? how many live there???

Usually in student houses the landlord does not live in and therefore you are in almost all circumstances in an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, albeit often on a group basis rather than individual contract (but either is possible).

you have rights under law.

 

Yeah, student house and landlord doesn't live here.

I've sent an email to the university complaining, as he is an approved landlord. I've asked them what sort of support they are going to provide if I have to cancel contract..

 

the problem youve got is if the building is in good repair then just having a crap mattress wont get you out of the AST. Environmental health might You need a copy of your contract.

Remember that your tenants rights are protected under law and he can write what he wants on a contract but nothing he writes can remove your legal rights. A lot of student contracts have complete illegal lies written in them but many people know no better.

Also if hes a uni approved landlord then he will have signed a contract with the uni to meet thier standards and if he doesnt meet them they can throw him off the list so then he wont be able to rent to students any more.

Theres lots of student landlords who get away with behaviour that is criminal, all because students used to have a really bad reputation for renting hence why students now have to have student rents. If you tried to rent a normal property (if you could afford it that is) then almost certainly youd be turned down. Many student groups could rent a lot cheaper as a normal rental contract than in student rents but the old reputation lingers plus the rip off student rental system makes a lot of landlords a lot of money. eg my house would rent for £350 - 400 per month to a family, but as a student rent i could make £600 a month (3 beds) £800 a month (4 beds).

So its big money ripping off students.

You at Staffs uni stafford campus then?? studying what??

 

Yep stafford campus studying Motorsport Tech.

Fucking dead round STafford though - what you become used to being a city lad hey!

I will see what uni says tomorrow, and will try and get hold of my contract.

 

Staffords quite small place really. Its got a big mental hospital though

 

Didnt you view the place before taking a contract?

 

Of course I did - I didn't know the room was infested with bed bugs while looking around.

 

Sounds awful. Can you see bed bugs? I'd be freaking out

 

i wouldnt be goign anywhere near that room! health hazard waiting to happen!

Be careful if you go back to your parents that you wash EVERYTHING before you sleep there, no doubt they will have found their way into your bags/shoes and will be trying to invade your parents house!!!

 

I'd get down to your uni accomodation department and get complaining. Just start kicking up shit until they help you out. I'm sure they have some responsibility as they have recommended the landlord.

Environmental Health is possibly worth contacting, certainly call your local council CAB Q&A center.

There are certain requirements for student housing, I'm sure if you do enough googling you'll find them. Its stuff like must have RCD's not old style wire fuses.... There might be something there about bed bugs

Good luck!!! I hated getting shafted as a student, landlords take the piss and noone cares.

JAmes.

 

Got a pest controller coming today - car is packed up with my belongings to be washed this weekend at the house.

Emailed uni a real snotty email about how they can approve this landlord.

And yes chop - I can see the fuckers!

They're on the floor now, as well as the bed - so no choice but to sleep with them, and not sleep due to irritation or stay up.. so I've been up since yesterday morning now!

 

Anyone else reading this then started scratching?

Have you tried getting in touch with the landlord to see what he says? Not a nice situation dude.

 

you sure you aint imagining it and all that etc ....... .......................... " yes can see them " sounds like something from a predator film rofl

i mean you are a student after all !!!! ,so i imagine you been caning the lsd,(non diff variety ) ,beer and anything else thats cheap,free or gets you hammered

i remember once chasing a giant bumblebee after some lsd at a party
felt a right clown next day when my mates told me i was running around with a kids football in my hand telling everyone id got its stinger !!!

if not just ignore the above and my advice would be RUN!!!!!!

 

had these at apub we tock over, all carpets and mattres''s have to be binned, the how place fumergated, then left for atleast 2 weeks befoo recarpeting for the powder to kill all, wouldnt advise staying there till its sorted and its the landlords resposerbility to get it sorted by law

 

Get the bugs in a jar, come the end of term when your skint there be a meal there for ya

 

Good Luck dude

 

I wish you luck mate because until recnetly I was renting a real shit hole of a house also in Stafford, i hate the place and i didnt come from a big city, its dead.

 

Great town isn't it