As well as Drs WHO, you can also contact the University Accommodation
Office for questions about things like tenants’ rights.
(2)80811 sarah.inwood@admin.ox.ac.uk
In Weeks 1 and 2 the Accommodation Office are at the OUSU
offices on Queen Street on Tuesday and Thursday between 1
and 4.30 to offer help for anyone thinking of living out.
The Housing
Bank is now online. You need to register
on the website and then log in to the members area to access
it.
The University Accommodation office also has a searchable
database
of shared houses available to rent, for which you need
to register with them.
Tenancy Deposit Schemes
It will be obligatory for all private landlords and letting
agencies to belong to a tenancy deposit scheme by the 6th
of April 2007. These schemes offer mediation by an external
agency if the return of the deposit is disputed by the tenants
or the landlord/agency. They ensure that the landlord/agency
cannot run off with your deposit or unreasonably refuse to
return it.
If signing a contract after April 6th 07 you should be provided
with information by the landlord/agency about the scheme of
which they are a member. Demand to see it if it isn’t
offered.
Many agencies and some landlords will join tenancy deposit
schemes before the 6th April deadline. It is definitely worth
asking about this if you are due to sign your contract before
April 6th. If they aren’t a member, it’s also
worth asking to delay the signing of the contract until April
6th to ensure you get the benefits of the scheme.
Housing Act 2004 – Houses in Multiple Occupancy
This act is relevant to any student living in private rented
accommodation in which the total number of occupants is 5
or more – defined by law as a House in Multiple Occupancy
or HMO. The law sets down certain guidelines about the facilities
that have to be available in HMOs, such as at least one bathroom
and one separate toilet, adequate facilities for cooking,
preparing and storing food in a kitchen (including an oven,
grill, 4 hobs, a fridge and a freezer), some means of heating
the living areas in the house, fire alarms and gas and electrical
appliances checked for safety. More details on this can be
obtained from the Drs WHO. Be sure to ask if the house you
are interested in complies with this legislation, and if it
doesn’t whether they propose to do any building work
before or during your tenancy.
List of letting agencies
Dr WHO have compiled a list of letting agencies to assist
those looking for houses. It is in word document format, and
can be downloaded below.
You need to be logged in to download this file. Please login using the login form in the left sidebar of the site. If you have not yet registered and are a JCR member, then you can get an account by visiting the registration page
