How do you deal with uncommunicative former student tenant?

Assuming a joint and several agreement, my first step would be to tell the errant student that you will be contacting his fellow tenants asking them to make up the missing rent if he does not do so asap; in my experience, just letting the student know your intentions has been effective in producing a result.

If no luck, pursue his guarantors, and then, if no luck, the other parental guarantors.

The young man needs to appreciate his responsibilities, and I think his peers and guarantors/ parents will help him to do so very quickly. I bet that none of them are aware that he is not paying and will be very concerned to limit their own liability and put pressure on him to sort himself out.

The other fun you’ll have if with the council. The moment he stops being a student he loses his class N council tax exemption. Which they will eventually look to you for. But you can use the contract to protect yourself.
Your ex student may move on when he realises he has to pay the full, let’s say band D CT for the place. 189 pm perhaps??

Reply to the comment left by Julian Lloyd at 31/08/2024 – 08:22
Depends on how property was let- for c tax. If let to individuals on separate tenancies then owner is liable under Liabilty for Owners Regs as property classed as a himo and the owner claims the relevant exemption. Class N. If he has done what most landlords do and issue one agreement to all occupiers then they are all jointly and severally liable and they claim the exemption. However as one person is now no longer a full time student the exemption ends from date he ceased being one. Sometimes determining this date is difficult due to way universities treat people leaving courses. All remaining students are disregarded (not counted) so liability is 75%. Same as a single persons discount)as only 1 person counted as resident. BUT due to small change in legislation many years ago a person disregarded as a student cannot be joint and several with a person who isnt. How the LA chooses to bill is up to them but most would bill the non student. God am gonna miss dealing with these queries when I retire after administering c tax since 1993 lol

Kick him out. Tell him to go back home to his parents. The parents will have to either take him back in or cough up the rent if they want to get rid of him. This limbo, I’ll answer you when I feel like it nonsense cannot be allowed to continue. In the real world… there are bills to pay. He needs to learn this lesson.