A row of terraced houses in Leeds at sunset

#Accommodation #housing

LUU: Working to make student housing better

As your students’ union, we represent your interests in all areas of student life, including your housing. We’re committed to improving the quality of  accommodation for students in Leeds, and carry out plenty of activity every year to make that happen.

Our Union is directed by a team of seven elected Exec Officers, and Lotti, your Community Officer for 2020-21, is working hard towards ensuring that every Leeds student has access to safe, affordable and fair housing.  Throughout her time in post she will be bringing this vision to life and working to get students’ voices heard through projects and campaigns.

Lotti said: “A happy, safe and warm place to live is essential for students’ wellbeing. I want to make sure students have access to fair, flexible and affordable housing contracts so that their university experience is not disrupted by financial worries or concerns about their accommodation. Students should not have to put up with substandard properties for above average prices; I want to dispel the notion of a property being ‘nice for a student house’ and ensure students are treated like any other renting adult would be.”

One of the ways we’re already working towards making student housing better is through our role on the board of Unipol, the Leeds student housing charity that rents to students and ensures quality accommodation from other providers around the city.

Unipol ensures quality housing through its accreditation schemes, known as codes, which aim to ensure that providers go beyond their legal requirements in providing good quality, safe and well-managed housing. It also promotes best practice through its help and advice provision and training and consultancy.

In Partnership with LUU, Unipol runs Rate Your Landlord, a review site where students can rate their landlords on things like efficiency, value for money and safety and security.

This allows future tenants to consider the reviews and make savvy, informed decisions, whilst driving up standards in student accommodation as landlords respond to their consumer feedback.

Each year, Rate Your Landlord holds the Rate Your Landlord Awards, recognising outstanding landlords and agents in Leeds and celebrating the good work already being done.  Despite social distancing measures, 2020 was no different, with the ceremony hosted online and broadcast via Facebook. You can check out all the winners and runners up here.

Throughout the year we’ll be building on our previous work to ensure fair, quality housing for our students, including the Covid-19 rent relief campaign which campaigned for rent relief for students paying for properties they weren’t occupying, whilst supporting them with negotiations with their own landlords.

If you have any questions or concerns about your accommodation, LUU’s Help & Support team are here to help with issues surrounding renting in Leeds, including house hunting, moving in and issues with deposits. You can use their 24/7 self help tool for instant advice, or get in touch with them here.