Housing Rights Advice Service

 

The service is for all students living in private accommodation in Liverpool and studying at our stakeholder institutions. Students can access free, confidential support from LSH Housing Advisors.

 

 

How to request advice

 

 

Email us using this link LSH@liverpool.ac.uk 

 

The link will open a new email template, which contains an advice request form for you to complete. Once we receive your form, your case will be allocated to an advisor, who will contact you. Alternatively you can call us on 0151 794 3296. You will be asked to complete an advice request form before any housing advice is given. 

 

Please read the following information before requesting advice.

 

Student Client Privacy Policy

LSH Data Protection Policy

Please read the LSH Data Protection Policy

Important information about using the service

All advice is free

The LSH Housing Rights Advice Service is funded by the Universities in Liverpool and supported by the Students’ Unions.

 

All advice is impartial

The advice given will be in the best interests of the individual client. This is irrespective of any other relationships that LSH may have with the Universities and Colleges or with landlords. If it is considered that there may be any conflict of interest the client may be signposted or referred to another service.

 

All advice is confidential

The written records of the enquiry/case are for the use of the LSH Housing Rights Advice Service only. The LSH Housing Rights Advice Service Confidentiality and Data Protection Policy (Appendix ii) mean that records can be accessed by an appropriate auditor. Information about an enquiry/case will never be passed to anyone without the permission of the client (unless required by law and in accordance with the Confidentiality Policy). Clients can inspect case records at any time and request a copy of them, under Freedom of Information legislation. Depending on the size of the file the client may be required to pay an administration fee for a copy of the information held.

 

Student Client Privacy Policy

LSH Data Protection Policy

 

We do not offer legal advice

No member of staff at Liverpool Student Homes has been legally trained and therefore any advice provided should not be construed as legal advice. You must not rely on the information on this website, or provided by an advisor as an alternative to legal advice from a solicitor or other professional legal services provider. If you have any specific questions about any legal matter you should consult a solicitor or other professional legal services provider. You should never delay seeking legal advice, disregard legal advice, or commence or discontinue any legal action because of information on this website or provided by a Liverpool Student Homes advisor.

 

Response times

The LSH Housing Rights Advice Services aims to respond to all letters, emails and voicemail messages within 5 working days of receipt. If a full response is not possible within this time scale, the client will be informed. It is expected that in most cases a response will be provided within a shorter period of time.

 

Case work support

Case work support will be carried out as agreed between the client and the LSH Private Sector Housing Rights Advice Worker. Case work may include negotiating on behalf of a client with other parties by letter, email or telephone. Unless there are specific instructions from a client, any offers made by other parties will be discussed with the client before an acceptance is given to the other party.

 

Drop-in, face-to-face advice

 

The LSH office is open for you to drop-in for face-to-face advice, although we advise you to contact us first to ensure our advisors are available. During busy periods, the initial advice session may be restricted to 20 minutes and a follow up appointment can be booked.

 

 

Virtual appointments

 

We can arrange appointments via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype.

 

 

What we can help with

 

Disrepair

You should always report property disrepair to your accommodation provider as soon as you notice there is an issue. If they do not respond or fail to complete the necessary repairs that they are responsible for within a reasonable time, we can advise on what steps to take next.

Contracts

We have a free contract checking service so you can get any new tenancy agreements checked over before you sign. We can also explain anything that you're unsure of.

Deposits

We can give you advice on getting your deposit back at the end of your tenancy and offer guidance if you get into a dispute with your accommodation provider.​

Disputes

We aim to resolve disputes between tenants and accommodation providers. If communication breaks down we can liaise with your landlord, letting agent or halls manager on your behalf, if you give us permission to do so.​

Your rights and responsibilities

We can inform you of your tenancy rights and the responsibilities of your accommodation provider.

 

Overview of the LSH Housing Advice Service

 

 

 

We expect clients to

 

  • Keep appointments, or if necessary to cancel them in advance, with where possible a minimum of 24 hours notice.
  • Be respectful and courteous.
  • Be completely honest.
  • Inform the LSH Private Sector Housing Rights Advice Worker of any changes in circumstances which may be relevant to ongoing support.
  • Bring in all the papers relevant to the case which the LSH Private Sector Housing Rights Advice Worker requests. This includes tenancy agreements and other relevant correspondance.
  • Keep the LSH Private Sector Housing Rights Advice Worker informed of any developments relating to an ongoing case.
  • Clients should actively engage with the advice process and be aware that failure to engage with the advice of the LSH Private Sector Housing Advice Rights Worker may result in non-resolution and an inability to provide further support.

 

Failure to keep to these undertakings may mean that advice and support is withdrawn.

 

 

Complaints about the service

 

We endeavour to deliver the best service possible to our landlords and students, however we recognise there may be times where you feel that you have not got what you have hoped for from our service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please click here to view our complaints policy and procedure and contact a member of our team.

 

LSH Housing Rights Advice Service cannot guarantee to provide casework support to all clients. If you are not a student of the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts or Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, then the level of support available may be limited.

 

LSH Housing Rights Advice Service may also have to stop advising you if:

  • A conflict of interest with a client that has been advised previously is discovered (a client may request a copy of the LSH Housing Rights, Conflict of Interest Policy).
  • The LSH Housing Rights Advice Service considers little likelihood of further progress or further benefit.
  • The client fails to comply with what is expected (please see above).

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