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When your landlord receives your deposit, they are legally obligated to put it into a deposit protection scheme within 30 days.
This guarantees that you will get your deposit back so long as you meet the terms of your tenancy agreement, pay all of your rent and bills and avoid damaging the property.
There are three government-approved deposit protection schemes, and you should be provided with details of where your deposit is being kept.
To get your deposit back at the end of your tenancy, you must contact your landlord or letting agent to ask for it.
Your landlord can make deductions from your deposit if they have grounds to do so. This will usually happen if you have failed to pay some of your rent, damaged the property in some way or lost or broken an item that belongs to them.
However, your landlord can’t charge you to cover “reasonable” wear and tear.
More than 18pc of students report problems with getting their full deposit back, according to Save The Student, so take good care of your property and try to avoid any damage.
If you don’t agree with a deduction to your deposit that your landlord has made, the first thing to do is to speak to them directly and discuss the issue.
If you can’t come to an agreement then you can speak to the deposit protection scheme where your money is held and use their dispute resolution service to sort the problem out.
If you’re studying full-time, then you’re exempt from paying council tax. Your council may ask for proof that you are a student, which you can obtain from your university.
However, if you’re sharing a house with someone who isn’t studying full-time, then the property will be liable for council tax and you will get a bill.
Whether the non-student housemate pays the whole bill or you decide to split it between you is up to you. If only one member of your household is a non-student, then they can apply for a single person council tax discount of 25pc.
If you need to suspend your studies, you may have to start paying council tax for the period that you aren’t studying. You should inform the local council about any change in your circumstances and ask your university or student union for guidance, to avoid being hit with a surprise bill.
After reading all that you’re probably thinking it might be easier to be your own landlord.
Some building societies offer “Buy for Uni” student mortgages of up to 100pc of the purchase price.
A student can rent up to three rooms out to their friends in order to cover their mortgage payments, meaning that they can live in the property essentially for free, potentially saving the Bank of Mum and Dad thousands of pounds in the long run.
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