Who do you choose to rent from and how can you make contact with them? Where do you begin looking? What should you look for?
Start your search with Liverpool Student Homes at www.liverpoolstudenthomes.org.
Liverpool Student Homes is the official private rented accommodation service for students and is funded by your University. All landlords who advertise through Liverpool Student Homes have committed to meeting the LSH Standards which are a set of quality and safety criteria. A full copy of the Standards can be found on the LSH website.
LSH work in conjunction with Liverpool City Council and the Class landlord accreditation scheme. If you live in CLASS accommodation, it means that your home provides decent and safe living conditions. For details go to: www.liverpool.gov. uk/Housing/Private_ housing
Remember: healthier homes, healthier lives. The condition of your home plays a big part in your health & wellbeing.
The property you rent must be free from avoidable hazards.
Would you know what the top five hazards are? They are: excess cold, damp & mould, falling on stairs, falling on level surfaces and flames and hot surfaces.
If your Landlord takes a deposit from you, make sure it is protected. A landlord is required to give you information within 14 days of receiving your deposit as to where it is held. If a landlord fails to protect your deposit in one of the statutory schemes, you may seek an order from the court and this may result in compensation.
Avoid signing up to a tenancy without viewing the property first. Remember, a tenancy agreement is a legally binding document. Having an inventory (sometimes called a statement of condition) helps to protect both you and your landlord and can provide evidence to prove the condition of a property at the time it is let. An inventory should be agreed with you before you move in and a separate list held by you and your landlord.
In April 2015, Liverpool City Council made it compulsory for all rented dwellings in our city to be licensed. This means that your landlord or agent should have applied or be in the process of applying for a license and meet the requirements of the license conditions. The licensing scheme helps bring unregulated properties in the city under a safety umbrella and is aimed at improving standards in dwellings which fall outside of the LSH Standards and CLASS Accreditation.
LSH is a unique service as it’s the only official university funded department that exists to help raise standards in student accommodation and provides support to students if they run into difficulties in their private accommodation.
So why is LSH the place to go to look for private accommodation in Liverpool?
When you are looking for private accommodation you want to be sure that the place you choose is of a good standard and most importantly, safe. How the property is managed by the landlord is also an important consideration, you want someone who is reliable and fair. This is where the LSH Standards can support you.
All landlords who wish to register their properties with LSH are committing to meeting the LSH Standards, which means their accommodation has met our safety criteria and they have agreed to managing the property in the correct way.
This includes:
If you think an LSH registered landlord has not met the requirements and is in breach of the LSH Standards, you can formally complain and we will investigate.
September
Start of term and welcome events. Register to vote.
October
Settling in, making friends.
November
Don’t be pressured into looking for accommodation, it’s easy to be led by friends and people forming groups but the majority of second and third year students will tell you the best time to look is after Christmas. Look out for the LSH Property Guide on campus.
December
Begin to think about accommodation. Attend LSH talks and Housing Fairs at the beginning of December. There is always plenty of accommodation in Liverpool so there is no need to rush into decisions and if you wait, you will get better deals.
January
Decide who you are going to live with, where you want to live and what type of accommodation. Start your search at liverpoolstudenthomes.org register to receive property emails, follow on Twitter and like on facebook.
February
Continue your house-hunting. List potential properties, contact landlords or agents to arrange viewings. If you are in a group, try and all go together.
March
Continue your house-hunting! Landlords will still have plenty of accommodation available and will be keen to secure a tenancy in vacant properties. Already picked a property? Get your contract checked before you sign it, by LSH. Sort who is going to be your guarantor.
April
Staying in Liverpool over the summer? Check out the summer lets on the LSH website.
May
Getting ready to move out. Have a good clear out, remember to recycle – check out the ‘Leave Liverpool Tidy Campaign’. Don’t panic if you haven’t found the perfect place for September, there will be loads left right up to the start of term. June. Move into your summer let.
July
Enjoy the summer! August. Prepare to move into your new place in September.
Visit the LSH website www.liverpoolstudenthomes.org where you can search for all types of student accommodation. You can also register FREE to receive properties to your inbox.
Come along to our Housing Fairs in December, follow us on Twitter and facebook for event details.
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