UCL Students in Huge Housing Payout

Chasing up your Landlord can work.


Six UCL students have won a record £39,000 payout from their landlords after the landlords failed to secure a multiple occupancy license for the property they rented out, The Angle reported.

The students complained multiple times to Camden Council about the state of the property, which contained light switches which administered electric shocks, a mouse infestation and general disrepair.

After several delays in the proceedings, with the landlords asking for adjournments on numerous occasions, the students applied to the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) to be reimbursed with their rent, but the landlords claimed they were unprepared and argued that their English skills were insufficient, leading to another adjournment.

All six of the students were awarded £6500 by the London Assessment Panel of the RTPS as compensation. The landlords have a month to pay.

The amount paid to the students is believed to be the largest amount ever paid out by the RTPS.

One student told The Angle that although the landlords were initially responsive, over the course of six months “they refused to reply to any of our texts, calls, voicemails, emails, and letters.”

“They also tried to serve an eviction notice through these random solicitors in May, about four days before my first exam, which was quite stressful.”

It just goes to show that if you have a problem with your accommodation or landlords, it is worth chasing them down.