YUSU launches a Rate Your Landlord charity project with Unipol

The University of York’s Student Union (YUSU) have launched a new housing charity project with Unipol called Rate Your Landlord.

This project is designed to help YUSU “hold bad landlords to account, and reward landlords who provide good quality housing to students.”

However, in order for YUSU to make this project truly viable, YUSU needs a least 400 responses from York students.

On the website students are able to rate and review their experiences of any landlord they have had in any students property over the past three years, including the university’s own accommodation.

YUSU has made clear that reviewers will remain anonymous and, to entice students, all reviewers will be entered into a £250 prize draw.

On the site, students are asked to rate their experiences of the signing and letting process, customer service, efficiency of repairs, safety and security, value for money, whether the house feels like a home, the moving out process, and deposit handling.

In an age where consumer feedback drives changes, Rate Your Landlord has allowed students to talk about their personal renting experiences and for others renters to learn from them, enabling there to be more happy renters. Many students are brand new to the world of private renting, so other people’s opinions can be a useful tool. Rate Your Landlord said they are “here to provide an open, fair and balanced forum for tenants to have their say, for landlords to respond, and for students to learn what’s what in the world of renting.”

Rate Your Landlord want “students to share both good and bad experiences” and say “the more reviews posted, the stronger the website becomes.”

If they wish, students can also leave a 140-character comment.

The Rate Your Landlord scheme was original run as a partnership between Unipol Student Homes, Leeds University Union and Warwick Students’ Union. The site was only available to all students in Leeds and Warwick. Now the partnership exists with the University of York and York St John University, making the site available to York students too.

If you want to rate you landlord, make sure you head to yusu.org/landlord to get to the Uni of York and York St John site.

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