From June 2019 landlords and agents are no longer able to charge tenancy fees in England. They are not allowed to ask you to pay for the following:
Both tenants and landlords have responsibilities for maintenance, usually detailed in the tenancy agreement.
Report all disrepair immediately via email to your landlord or letting agent for record-keeping. Follow up verbal conversations with emails for clarity in case of disputes.
Include dated photographs where possible to document issues.
If tenants cause damage, report it to the landlord or agent. You may fix it yourself or pay the cost of the landlord's repair.
Access must be provided for repairs, usually during normal working hours. Refusing access without a valid reason may breach your tenancy.
Living in a student house doesn't mean tolerating disrepair. Landlords must maintain certain standards. If you encounter the following hazards, Healthy Homes (Liverpool City Council) may help:
Most landlords ask for a deposit (usually 1 month’s rent). Ensure it's clear whether it’s a deposit or advance rent in the agreement.
Deposits must be protected within 30 days by an authorised scheme. You should be given:
If not protected properly within 30 days, you may apply to county court. The court may award compensation (1–3x the deposit).
In Liverpool, some private rental properties require a license to ensure the landlord is "fit and proper" and the home meets standards.
If a required license is missing, the landlord can be prosecuted, and a Rent Repayment Order could entitle you to reclaim rent paid during the unlicensed period.
To check a property's license status in Liverpool, visit the Liverpool City Council website. For other areas, search your local authority’s site for “mandatory/selective licensing”.
If you suspect your property is unlicensed, contact landlord.licensing@liverpool.gov.uk.
Your property should be pest-free when your tenancy begins. Check walls and doors for entry points and inform your landlord of issues immediately.
Use provided waste bins and follow council guidelines for storage and disposal. Avoid leaving food out that may attract pests.
If pests are found, report it to the landlord promptly. They are responsible for addressing infestations.
If you and your housemates are all listed on one tenancy agreement with a landlord, then you will have a joint tenancy, with the following implications:
If your bills are included in the rent payment, you may want to check your contract to see if there is a cap or limit on your fuel consumption. If your consumption goes over this cap, you will be required to pay the extra cost.
It’s also best to get a copy of the bill, to check that the energy consumption is correct and based on actual meter readings and not estimated. If you have the cost of the bills included in your rent payment, the landlord will either keep the utility bills in their name and pay them on your behalf or request that the bills are put in the tenants’ names and the paper bills be passed to the landlord for payment.
Either way, it’s important that you keep track of how much fuel you are using. We recommend you take meter readings on a monthly basis. You may want to supply this information to the energy supplier and landlord, to ensure that the bills are not estimated. Energy providers usually over-estimate usage, so you could end up paying more than what you should. It is also important to check with the landlord/agent before the start of a tenancy whether there is a cap on utility bill usage, even if bills are fully inclusive.
You are a customer of the landlord and as such you have a right to complain if you are not satisfied with the service you are receiving. However, you should do so with courtesy and engage with the landlord constructively.
You should ensure that your complaint relates to an issue that has previously been reported. The complaint should be in writing and clearly set out why you believe they have failed in their responsibilities. If the landlord or agent has one, you should follow their complaints procedure. If your landlord or letting agent is registered with Liverpool Student Homes, then you can escalate the complaint through the LSH Standards. If the property is managed by a letting agent, you can escalate the complaint to the Redress Scheme.
At all times during the complaint process a normal and reasonable landlord and tenant relationship should continue.
The landlord must ensure all gas installations and appliances and electrical appliances supplied are in a safe condition. Smoke alarms should be fitted on each floor of the property and furniture should be compliant with fire safety legislation.
Doors and windows should be capable of being secured adequately to prevent access from intruders.
If the property is registered with Liverpool Student Homes it should benefit from a fire door leading from the kitchen, a fire blanket, window locks and restrictors and carbon monoxide detectors in the vicinity of gas appliances.
Where your landlord provides additional safety and security features, please make sure you acquaint yourselves with them and use them properly. Lock your door even when you are in the property, do not wedge open fire doors, set the burglar alarm if you are all out.
For help with your tenancy rights, you can go to Liverpool Student Homes (LSH), which is your University’s service for private student accommodation. The service is completely free for students and is owned and managed by the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University and LIPA.
LSH, 5 Oxford Street, Liverpool L7 7HL (behind the Metropolitan Cathedral)
Tel: 0151 794 3296
Email: Lsh@liverpool.ac.uk
Twitter: /LivStudentHomes
Facebook: LiverpoolStudentHomes
For advice on housing matters you can also contact
Find a solicitor: Find a Solicitor - The Law Society
Citizens Advice: Check what you can do about harassment - Citizens Advice
The LJMU School of Law Legal Advice Centre: Legal Advice Centre | Liverpool John Moores University (ljmu.ac.uk)
MSB Solicitors https://www.msbsolicitors.co.uk/our-expertise/private-landlord-housing-management/