Fizzy
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Anyone Know Anything About Rights / Law??I've just written a reeeally long email to the students union at my university because I might make a complaint about the Housing Office who rented my room out to me at the beginning of term. I feel as though I was given misleading information when signing out of my tenancy agreement and this has consequently put me out of pocket by like £900...
Here is the email I have written which will give you an idea of what happened:
| Quote: | Hello,
I was wondering whether the union can help or advise me with a complaint I may want to make against the Housing Office. I feel that I was mislead by a member of staff at the Housing Office upon signing out of my tenancy agreement which, consequently, has put me out of pocket by nearly £1000.
I'm a first year undergraduate student and lived in Park Village for the first two weeks of term, however I then decided that I would prefer to live at home and commute to university instead. I went to the Housing Office in person to find out what rent I would be liable to pay if I was to I pull out of the tenancy agreement. I asked the member of staff serving me whether I would only pay for the weeks I had lived at the accommodation, and she told me that yes this was true plus I would have to pay the admin fee for termination (which I think was £30). I was happy with her answer, signed the tenancy termination form, and arranged to move out the following Saturday. I asked how long she thought it would take for a new tenant to be found and she said that she was 'confident that a new tenant would be found within the next week or so'.
A day or so later, a housemate of mine who was living at the same address was thinking about doing the same, so I went with her to the Housing Office. The same member of staff served her and, upon signing the form, my friend double-checked with her that she too would only be paying for the weeks she had lived at the accommodation. The member of staff answered, to my astonishment, that she would need to still pay for the room until the 7th December unless another tenant was found! She was also told that it is unlikely that a new tenant would be found because 'nobody seems to want to live in Park Village'. My friend decided that due to this she would remain at the accommodation and leave after 7th December, and this is what I would have chosen to do had I been correctly advised.
I have now paid around £900 to the Housing Office for a room I have not been living in nor have I had the keys for. I am not due to pay any further rent as I have now paid up to the deadline date of 7th December, but I feel completely cheated out of my money due to being given misleading verbal information.
Would I be able to claim back all or some of the money I have paid, on the grounds of being given misleading information? I understand that it is my own responsibilty for reading into documents I sign such as tenancy agreements, however surely the Housing Office also has the responsibility to give correct information if a student asks for it?
Any help or advice much appreciated |
Does anybody know if I am likely to have a chance in claiming back my money? If anyone has parents who know about law or human rights etc then that would be helpful.
Thanks 
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Peew4K
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I think that you might not get money back as you have the keys to it and you say you haven't been living in it but you have no proof and seeing as you have the keys they will you think you have been living ther, although you still could get cash back to your pocket.
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Fizzy
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| Paulolad wrote: | | I think that you might not get money back as you have the keys to it and you say you haven't been living in it but you have no proof and seeing as you have the keys they will you think you have been living ther, although you still could get cash back to your pocket. |
I don't have the keys, hence ''nor have I had the keys for''.
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RichieRich
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I asked my sister who studies law and she says
"Without proof of what the member of staff said in the first place chances are such a case would never stand up in court. However as a moral obligation some sort of reparitions should be paid. A formal complaint to the housing agency should ,after some sending and receiving of letters, allow this. Other than complaining directly to the housing institute a good first move would be to see the citizens advice bureau and/or the NUS"
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Fizzy
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Thanks RichieRich and thanks to your sister 
I've made the first step in contacting my students union which should hopefully get the ball rolling. About having the proof - yeah I knew it would be like that  My boyfriend witnessed me being told I would only pay for the two weeks I had lived there, and my housemate witnessed the story being changed by the member of staff in question...would these witnesses make my case stronger at all?
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RichieRich
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"It may be enough that you have the backup of your boyfriend to get the money out of the company themselves but again it highly unlikely that court would accept it. Also your friend witnessing the change of story probably wouldn't stand for anything since the member of staff can just say its company policy and everyone is told the same thing."
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Fizzy
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Hmm okay Thanks again though.
I have got some comfort in all of this in that the money I have lost isn't my hard earned cash. I get a £4,500 bursary per year for my course I'm doing and because the tuition fees are only £3000 that means I get £1,500 more than I need and it's not repayable so I can use it how I like. The £900 just comes out of that money so it's not as bad as it could be.
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RichieRich
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She says chances are if you put pressure on the company they will at least give you half back
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Fizzy
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Well I'm hoping to get the Students Union on my side and then they can tell me how I go about writing a complaint letter
On the form I signed it did say something along the lines of ''You will still be liable for the room until the 7th December'' but since this didn't say directly that it meant paying for the room I just took the word of the lady serving me.
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Peew4K
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| Fizzy wrote: | | Paulolad wrote: | | I think that you might not get money back as you have the keys to it and you say you haven't been living in it but you have no proof and seeing as you have the keys they will you think you have been living ther, although you still could get cash back to your pocket. |
I don't have the keys, hence ''nor have I had the keys for''. |
sorry I didn't see that part or I think I didn't read it properly.
You should be entitled to your money!
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