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What type of house contract do I have?

I rent from a landlord/agent

In Leeds, most contracts are Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements. They’re normally fixed term for 12 months, but can sometimes be negotiated to a shorter term. If you sign a fixed term (i.e. a fixed date range) you are liable to pay the rent for the full time, unless there is a specific clause in the contract allowing you to give notice to quit (this is rare).

Within this type of contract, you are a tenant and have exclusive possession of the property. The landlord/agent can access your place, but you should be given notice and they can only call in reasonable hours. The landlord can’t evict you from the property without getting a court order.

I’m living in a property but not paying rent directly to the landlord or agent

If you’re paying rent to another tenant who is currently living there or who signed the contract but has moved out, you are subletting. This is a tricky situation, especially if you have a problem. We can help you if you’ve got any concerns. Read up on subletting agreements here.

I’m living in university accommodation

You will have a fixed term agreement covering the full academic year. You can’t give notice to quit within the contract period, but there are other options out there for you, see the related articles below.

Residential and Commercial Services staff have access to the communal areas but shouldn’t enter your room unless they have given you written notice.

I'm living with the Owner, or another tenant who pays the landlord

You’ll either be a licensee (if the owner has unrestricted access to your room) or an excluded tenant (if you can lock your room). The length of the contract can depend. It’s sometimes possible to come to an agreement where both parties can agree to give notice to quit.

What is Joint Liability?

Joint liability is when you have a financial responsibility to cover any rent or damage payments that may be owed by your housemate - or they in turn may have to cover money that you owe. So if you or anyone else moves out early and owes rent, the landlord can chase the person who owes the money or can choose to collectively ask the household to pay.

You will have joint liability if you:

• Sign the same housing contract as your housemates at the same time and you are agreeing to take the property as a group.

However, you will not have joint liability if you move in later than everyone else (maybe as a replacement tenant) and/or your name is just added to the contract.

Joint liability also means that if someone moves out and wants a replacement tenant to move in, the rest of the household have a right to say whether they agree with the replacement tenant moving in. However, remember that if the household don’t agree, joint liability means the remaining tenants could end up paying towards any rent owed by the person moving out as this will put them in rent arrears.

Can I get my contract checked?

LUU Help and Support can answer any questions you have about your contract, but it is important that you read it first.

LUU can answer any specific questions you have. We can talk to you on the desk if you come in, but be aware we cannot normally look through a contract with you.  We can also look over a contract if you email it to us.

Before you contact, have a good read through your contract and make a list of any questions or tings you are unsure about. 

If you have any other additional questions, it would be a good idea to note these down before the meeting too.

You can also talk to us about the property, whether you want to negotiate anything, if the rent is reasonable or what security it should have as well as checking the landlord out.

We’ll help to talk through what you're signing, so you can make an informed decision on whether you want to go for the property. But remember, it’s your decision and not one we can make for you.

Unipol can also check contracts via email - they have a form you can use to submit t your contract to them here https://www.unipol.org.uk/advice/students/get-your-contract-checked-by-unipol/ 

What if my landlord says I need to sign now or the house will be taken by someone else?

You should always be allowed 24 hours to take the contract away to read before you sign, so be wary of any landlords that refuse, if they are putting pressure on you to sign it won’t be for your benefit. Be wary of any landlords asking you to pay a holding fee to take the contract away to read - chances are you will lose the money if you don’t sign up.