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How to protect tenants' rights when renting in the UK? Rights protection for international students renting in the UK
What should you do if the landlord or letting agent in the UK refuses to return the deposit?
Due to official regulations in the UK, all rental deposits must be submitted to a third-party deposit protection scheme designated by the government, such as a Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS), and you will be provided with a unique series number and a deposit protection certificate that includes your name.
If your deposit is held by a third-party deposit protection scheme, you can take the following steps to protect your rights:
Collect and preserve a series of relevant evidence.
Ensure that you have not violated the terms of the tenancy agreement or breached any obligations.
Contact the third-party deposit protection scheme directly and submit the evidence. They will initiate an arbitration process with the involved parties.
If the landlord, letting agent, or tenant is not satisfied with the arbitration decision made by the third-party scheme, they can proceed to file a lawsuit in a court.
International students can bring their evidence and seek legal assistance from their university's International Office (IO). In normal circumstances, universities provide free legal support, including access to a free lawyer.
Ten Sheng Miao reminds you that it is generally necessary to submit the evidence to the third-party deposit protection scheme within three months.
If your landlord or letting agent has not transferred your deposit to a third-party protection scheme, you can take the following steps:
Collect and preserve a series of relevant evidence.
Contact your letting agent or the landlord who rented the property to you initially.
If you are unable to reach the original landlord or the letting agent, or if you come across a letting agent operating from a legitimate physical store in the UK (If they don't have a physical store or fail to provide a license, and they are on a tourist visa in the UK, and you don't have any information about them), then:
Contact the actual owner of the property.
Seek assistance from the local government in the area where the property is located.
Seek help from your university's International Office (IO). In most cases, UK universities provide free legal support to their students.
What should you do if the landlord or letting agent in the UK charges unreasonable fees?
If the letting agent or landlord demands unreasonable fees, such as inspection fees, excessive cleaning fees upon moving out, or requests payment for expenses that are not supposed to be paid by the tenant, you can take the following steps to protect your rights:
In these situations, refuse to make the payment. If the other party uses this as a reason to deny you entry, retain your deposit, or deduct from your deposit, preserve the relevant evidence. If you have already paid unreasonable fees to the landlord or letting agent, keep records of the payments made.
Collect and preserve a series of relevant evidence.
Request the landlord or letting agent, through written communication such as emails or text messages, to cease their charging practices. If you have already been charged, demand a refund of the unreasonable fees. Be sure to record clear audio if you engage in phone calls or face-to-face conversations.
If the second step does not yield results, inform the relevant Redress Scheme (refer to footnote 1).
If the third step does not bring a resolution, inform the local government in the area where the property is located.
If the fourth step does not lead to a resolution, notify your university's International Office (IO) and seek legal assistance. In most cases, UK universities provide free legal support to their students.
With the help of the lawyer obtained in the fifth step, you can directly file a case against the letting agent or landlord in the First-Tier Tribunal. This can be done through the official website
：https://www.gov.uk/housing-tribunals
Ten Sheng Miao reminds you that generally, by the time you reach the fourth step, which involves seeking assistance from the government, the issue is typically resolved. Reasonable landlords or letting agents, who understand the situation, often resolve the matter as early as the third step.
Ten Sheng Miao reminds you that if you have already paid unreasonable fees to the landlord or letting agent and successfully obtained a refund through rights protection, but the landlord or letting agent intentionally causes issues such as asking you to move out, as long as it is not the tenant's fault and the tenant has not violated the tenancy agreement, you can go through the above process again.
Footnote 1: Redress Scheme refers to the legal requirement for all letting agents to register with a Redress Scheme. If a letting agent fails to join the scheme, they can have their license revoked and face fines.
UK Local Government
If your landlord refuses to sign a contract with you or fails to provide a contract, and they ask you to move out in advance without any breach of contract on your part, unreasonably evict you, discriminate against you, cause harm to you, or rent out a damaged and leaking property, you can directly contact the local government in the area where the property is located. The government will assist you in protecting your legal rights. If the landlord persists in being unreasonable, the government can impose appropriate penalties on the landlord, such as fines or maintaining a negative record. In severe cases, the landlord may even face legal action.