How should a landlord handle a troubling student tenant?

Thank you all for your helpful comments, input and advice. I have a meeting scheduled with the head of the university wellbeing department tomorrow with a hope of progressing the matter.
Also the 3 girls in question are all on separate contracts so one leaving would only affect her agreement.

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 18/12/2024 – 14:59
That is Not true. They are not a special case. You may be able to manipulate the situation using the university and parents but it’s just an hmo.

I’ve had similar problems with professional tenants – I would immediately serve her an S21 while you still legally can. It is unsafe for the other tenants.

In my experience the tenants all moved out earlier than the deadline.

Reply to the comment left by Marcus at 18/12/2024 – 13:14
If a professional tenant you can just serve s21 and s8 with the correct Grounds

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 18/12/2024 – 15:29
I would have separate ASTs for each bedroom and a Licence to use the common parts.

While it may look advantageous to have jointly and severally it often much better not to have. Also with the common parts having a Licence to use you have greater ability to access/inspect/maintain the common parts.

Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 21/12/2024 – 10:49

If you have separate AST’s then you are obliged to have locks on all bedroom doors, and tenants come to the house individually and not as a group even though they share communoal parts. The Insurance would go up. If they fail to pay in no way does this affect the others which is one of the great advantages of a Joint and Severally Liable lease. As far as I know a J & S lease is used with most student houses in my area. I’m gobsmacked by what you say. This type of lease is one of the great advantages of student lets. I have a house of 8 and another of 7. Separate AST’s for all 8 or 7: my mind boggles! My tenants come as a group who they choose to share with, and I have had happy tenancies because of this. I have let these houses to students for forty four years, and have had no problems of this kind except one which I’ve described earlier which was easily solved.

I agree with you Yvonne. How have you approached the guarantor situation .. it gets awkward getting potential guarantors to commit to potentially underwriting people other than their son/daughter etc?

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 21/12/2024 – 13:26Yes we would normally prefer 3 “friends” on a joint contract and have never in 20 years had difficulties. However this year circumstances led to all 3 rooms in this house being let separately, hence the 3 contracts and locks on bedroom doors.

We would normally let this house to a group but circumstances this year led to 3 individuals taking the rooms. All bedrooms have locking doors and they have shared access to the common areas under licence.
I have now discussed the matter with the university wellbeing head and he has assured me that they will act “in the best interests” of all the students involved. With an offer of temporary safe accommodation within the university. However due to GDPR they are unable to update me directly……..
and the parents of the other 2 girls are obviously concerned for their own daughters safety.
It’s a bit like being between a rock and a hard place and any notice to quit if it were even possible to serve could take 6 months in the current climate, by which time the academic year will have ended.
We may well end up with only one tenant left and not necessarily the one we would want as it would be difficult not to have sympathy with the 2 who feel unsafe wanting to move out.

Reply to the comment left by Marcus at 21/12/2024 – 13:32
I do my best to explain to students and parents the full liability of the Guarantee. I try my best to get parents to be guarantors as I think they are the only people suitable to take such a risk. I say in my notes which accompany my guarantee forms ‘I cannot take any guarantees with a limited liability’.

I had a parent once, who said ‘I don’t belive you’ but when she realised it was the only way for her daughter to get the house her daughter so desired I had her eating out of my hand by the end. So you see its a matter of take it or leave it.

In 44 Years I’ve never lost rent, and no one has ever not paid me, so no one has ever paid any one else’s rent. As my students all know each other then failing to pay rent is like failing their friendship.