Meeting the landlord and property visits

It is University policy to visit all property before registration onto our Studentpad database can be considered. Once included on our database we revisit the property and meet with the landlord, every 12 to 18 months. Standards have risen considerably over recent years and students expect facilities and accommodation which is safe, secure and offers good value for money. Well presented properties located in the popular areas are always in high demand.

The purpose of a visit from our assessor team is to meet the landlord and assess the safety and suitability of the accommodation offered, for student occupation. The staff of the Student Accommodation Office are not qualified building surveyors and do not set out to undertake a full structural survey of the property offered, or a full fire risk assessment. They do however possess a wealth of experience and common sense and are able to judge – in so far as can reasonably be expected – whether a property on offer is suitable.

It is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that the property offered meets all health and safety standards laid down by law. Landlords must be familiar with the law relating to for example, gas and fire safety, electrical safety and the requirements relating to furniture and soft furnishings. The assessor will obviously be looking out for health and safety issues but the responsibility for compliance with legal requirements remains with the landlord.

For a property to be included onto our database, there must be:

• Mains linked smoke detection on each level of the property, with a heat detector in the kitchen
• 2kg dry powder fire extinguisher wall mounted on each level of the property, as set out in the LACORS standards for rented accommodation
• A fire blanket to be wall mounted in the kitchen area
• A substantial door to the kitchen area to protect the hallway and the remainder of the property in the instance of fire.

Suitability of a property can relate to many factors including: size of kitchen in relation to the number of residents, the effectiveness of the heating system and type of heating system, size of rooms offered as study bedrooms, quality and size of furniture, security, the absence of damp. The property must also have the correct ratio of showers/baths and wc’s for the number of residents in the house. Above all, the property must meet current safety requirements and the management of the property must be regular and professional.

When visiting a property, the assessor will be looking at the following;

The Exterior of the Property

• Is the front exterior tidy and well presented
• Is paintwork clean and fresh
• Do the gutters appear clear from blockages
• Does the roof appear to be free from any loose tiles
• Is the rear area of the property clear from overgrowth and is the ground clear from any slip hazards

​Property grading

The assessment will also cover the overall grading of the property in relation to other properties registered on the University of Plymouth database of Student Accommodation. The grading system is necessarily subjective and the Housing Assessors attribute a grade on the basis of their comparison of over 1000 registered properties and their considerable experience. They will always explain to a landlord the reason for the decision and make suggestions about what could be done to achieve a higher grade. Standards are constantly rising and the standards for each grade reflect these changes.

It is important to stress that grading and safety are separate issues. All properties, irrespective of grade, are expected to comply with all appropriate safety standards.
Please note, a property grading does not automatically 'follow' a property should it be sold. We would still need to re-visit and meet the new owner.

Repairs and Additional Services

Students should be given appropriate information on how faults and other concerns can be reported and on indication of usual timescales for different types of repairs.  Landlords must provide a contact method which is straight forward to use and students should receive a prompt and courteous response when they make contact with the landlord.

Grade A: This is the most popular choice with students when they search for accommodation.  An A grade refers to properties which have been presented to a very high standard. Property which has been on the database for a number or years can maintain the A grading if the flooring, décor, furnishings and external decoration are maintained to an ‘as new’ standard. For all A grade property there should be a good ratio of ‘as new’ facilities to the number of residents, central heating or equivalent and double glazing or ‘as new’ windows. Grade A property often includes facilities such as a seperate lounge/social area, broadband, dishwashers, barbecues and digital or sky television for their tenants.

Grade B: Due to the increased number of ‘as new’ properties offered on the database the B grade is being increasingly used and identified by our students as reflecting a high quality property. The properties are promoted as being to a high standard although some features may not be ‘as new’. For example, the carpets may be perfectly sound but are now slightly marked. The level of facilities may be comparable to an A grade property although they may be less consistent in quality. In some cases a B grade property may have smaller rooms or less communal space. B grade properties should still have central heating or equivalent and the windows will be in good order.

Grade C: This is a basic standard that must also be presented in a clean condition at the start of the tenancy. General furnishings and fittings may be older and marked and carpets may be older and worn. The interior and the exterior of the property could possibly benefit from redecoration. Grade C may have only the basic furnishing with fewer additional comforts. Grade C could have all the facilities contained within a Grade A property but the presentation of the whole property may be old fashioned or be in need of decoration.