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Terms and Conditions for Students, Staff and Guarantors ("Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms")

Terms and Conditions for Students, Staff and Guarantors ("Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms")

Our Housing Platform


1. Your registration on the Website and App platform (“Our Housing Platform”)


1.1 By registering on Our Housing Platform you are deemed to accept these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms. You must not register on Our Housing Platform if you do not accept these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms.

1.2 Once you are registered on Our Housing Platform, you will be able to access the Housing Platform services as detailed at clause 2 below.

1.3 As a part of the registration process you will be asked to create an individual profile which can be viewed by landlords and agents advertising accommodation on Our Housing Platform. Please see Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for further details as to how we collect, use and store your personal data.

1.4 You may also create a ‘Group Profile’ if you wish to rent accommodation with a group of other students or University staff members. Please note that the guarantor requirements listed in clause 3 apply to each individual in a Group Profile.

1.5 In registering on the Our Housing Platform you agree that:

1.5.1 you will adhere at all times to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy;

1.5.2 if you are a student or prospective student, from the date on which your accommodation agreement will commence, you are enrolled or have accepted a place to be enrolled at one of our member institutions a list of which can be access here;

1.5.3 if you are a university staff member, from the date on which your accommodation agreement will commence, you are employed or have accepted an offer of employment at one of one of our member institutions a list of which can be accessed here;

1.5.4 you are not currently, nor have you ever been, subject to any bankruptcy proceedings; and

1.5.5 you are at least 18 years old and are legally capable of entering into binding contracts.


2. Housing Platform services


2.1 There are two types of properties that are advertised on Our Housing Platform:

2.1.1 Advertisement Only. These properties are generally offered by Letting Agents and Independent Halls of Residences and properties are advertised on a listing only basis. We do not provide any services in relation to these properties and we do not manage these properties. You can use our Housing Platform to contact the advertiser directly to ask questions and arrange viewings and submit booking requests. Contracts and payments will be handled directly by the advertiser.

2.1.2 Housing Platform Supported Properties. These properties are generally offered by private landlords. These properties will also be directly managed by the landlord. However, you will sign a University of London approved accommodation agreement with your landlord on Our Housing Platform. Our Housing Platform will also facilitate the collection of deposit and rent payments to your landlord and offer a communication tool which will allow you to communicate with your landlord throughout the accommodation agreement period. Any deposit collected via Our Housing Platform will be sent in full to landlords without deduction. The University will not hold deposits at any point. We will use a third party payment system for transfer of the deposit. The landlord must protect any deposit taken in connection with an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement within 30 days of the tenant making payment.

2.2 The terms in the remainder of this clause 2 do not apply to Advertisement Only properties.

2.3 In respect of Housing Platform Supported Properties, you may enquire through advertisements by following the prompts on Our Housing Platform to obtain further details and arrange a property viewing. Property viewings will be carried out by the landlord themselves.

2.4 Should you find a suitable accommodation, you can request to book this accommodation via Our Housing Platform and the landlord will be informed. Should they accept, an accommodation agreement will be made available for all parties to sign on Our Housing Platform.

2.5 Students and staff members will normally require a UK-based guarantor in order to be able to pay rent monthly. Please see Clause 3 for details of guarantor requirements. Should you not be able to offer a UK-based guarantor then the landlord may require that you pay an additional amount of rent in advance which will be indicated in the accommodation agreement. The maximum amount of advance rent that we allow landlords to request via Our Housing Platform is 6 months. We also allow the option for students and staff members to pay full rent for the entire accommodation agreement in advance if they wish. However, we do not generally recommend this option.

2.6 We facilitate your payment of rent to the landlord through Our Housing Platform. Please see further details regarding payments at clause 6 below. The terms on which your rent is payable is governed by your accommodation agreement entered into with your landlord.


3. Guarantor requirements


3.1 For Our “Housing Platform Supported Properties” Students and staff members will normally require a UK-based guarantor in order to be able to pay rent monthly. 

3.2 In respect of “Advertisement Only” Properties, the requirements for guarantors will vary and we advise that you ask the advertisers for details of their requirements when enquiring about a property.

3.3 The general requirements of guarantors for “Housing Platform Supported Properties” are listed below. Please note that some landlords may ask for additional information or wish to arrange reference checks for guarantors. Where this is the case the landlord will handle this independently of Our Housing Platform.

3.3.1 The guarantor must either be a UK resident or a UK citizen.

3.3.2 The guarantor must have a UK bank account.

3.3.3 Your guarantor will be required to complete the guarantee section of the accommodation agreement.

3.4 You must obtain the guarantors consent to act as a guarantor and for you to share their details with us before you provide their details to us. Please refer to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for full details of how we collect, use and store personal information. 

3.5 If at any time during your tenancy you do not pay the rent on time as specified by your student rental accommodation agreement entered into with your landlord, we may use Our Housing Platform to inform your guarantor and request that either you or they pay any amounts due and not paid.


4. Accommodation advertisements


4.1 All advertisements on Our Housing Platform are prepared by landlords, agents and other advertisers and we have no responsibility for any content in advertisements, nor for the accuracy and completeness of any content in advertisements, whether or not the content in advertisements may result in any liability to any third party. In the event that we become aware of any illegal or offensive content in advertisements, we shall remove this content as soon as practicable after becoming aware of such content.

4.2 Advertisements are subject to change at any time and do not constitute a binding offer on the landlord to offer you accommodation on such terms.

4.3 We are not responsible if properties do not correspond to advertisements and we recommend that you always view the property before signing an accommodation agreement.


5. Your accommodation agreement with your landlord


The contract terms constituting your accommodation agreement will be between yourself (and others if you are part of a Group Profile) and that landlord only. You will be provided with a copy of your accommodation agreement when the landlord accepts your application to rent the property and it is your responsibility to review the terms. We will not enter into an accommodation agreement with you.


6. Payments


6.1 For Our Housing Platform Supported Properties, we will facilitate the payment of deposits and rent between students and university staff members and landlords.

6.2 You can make payments through Our Housing Platform by using a UK or EU debit or credit card. Please note that Our Housing Platform does not currently support bank cards registered outside the UK and EU.

6.3 You will be required to enter your card details when you book a property and sign the accommodation agreement. These details will be used to collect your deposit and initial rental payment along with any regular rental payments in line with the terms of your accommodation agreement with the landlord. Please note monthly rent payments will collected from student payment cards 72 hours prior to the Rent Payment Day indicated on the accommodation agreement. This is to ensure that it clears into the landlord's bank account on time each month.

6.4 We use a third party company, Stripe Payments Europe Limited (“Stripe”) to process all payments made through Our Housing Platform. Stripe is a company registered in Ireland with company number 513174 and offices at The One Building, 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland. 


7. Your rights to cancel your account


7.1 You can cancel your account (governed by the Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms) with us at any time. However, this will not have the effect of cancelling any accommodation agreement you have signed with a landlord. Your rights to end your accommodation agreement will depend wholly on the terms of your agreement with the landlord.

7.2 In the event you cancel your account during a period that you have an active accommodation agreement with a landlord arranged via Our Housing Platform, this will prevent our Platform facilitating rental payments and therefore might put you at risk of breaching your agreement with the landlord. We would advise that you contact us for assistance in this case before you cancel your online account.

7.3 To cancel your account please let us know by visiting your account on Our Housing Platform and opting to delete your account via the “Settings” tab. You may also inform us by telephone or email: Call us on 020 7862 8880 or email us at housing@london.ac.uk. Please provide your name, university name, home address, phone number and email address.

7.4 Refunds. We are providing you with access to Our Housing Platform free of charge. If you have any questions about refunds in relation to your accommodation agreement, please contact your landlord. 

8. Our rights to end this agreement

8.1 When we may end this agreement. We may end this agreement at any time if:

8.1.1 you cease at any time to comply with the criteria for using Our Housing Platform as detailed in clause 1.5 above;

8.1.2 you do not, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information that is necessary for us to provide the Services, for example, proof of your student or staff status;

8.1.3 at any time if we choose to cease to provide services. Terminating these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms will not have the effect of cancelling any accommodation agreement in place with a landlord, so on our termination of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms you will still be bound by the obligations in your accommodation agreement including ongoing payment obligations to the landlord to pay rent. Your cancellation right to end your tenancy will depend wholly on the terms of your accommodation agreement with the landlord and we are not a party to this agreement.

9. If there is a problem with the services


9.1 How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about Our Housing Platform, please contact us. You can telephone us on 020 7862 8880 or write to us at housing@london.ac.uk. You can also find details of our complaints procedure here.


10. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you


10.1 We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, we are only responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable and direct result of our breaking this agreement. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time this agreement was made, both we and you knew it might happen.

10.2 We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited by law.

10.3 We are not liable for business losses. We only supply the services through Our Housing Platform or otherwise for domestic and private use. If you use the services for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.


11. How we may use your personal information


11.1 Please refer to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for full details of how we collect, use, store and retain your personal information during and following the termination or expiry of this agreement.


12. Other important terms


12.1 We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms to another organisation. We will contact you to let you know if we plan to do this.

12.2 Nobody else has any rights under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms. This agreement is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms.

12.3 If a court finds part of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

12.4 Even if we delay in enforcing these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking these terms, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date.

12.5 Which laws apply to these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms and where you may bring legal proceedings. These Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in the Courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Scottish or the English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Northern Irish or the English courts.


Last Updated: July 2020

Our Housing Platform


1. Your registration on the Website and App platform (“Our Housing Platform”)


1.1 By registering on Our Housing Platform you are deemed to accept these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms. You must not register on Our Housing Platform if you do not accept these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms.

1.2 Once you are registered on Our Housing Platform, you will be able to access the Housing Platform services as detailed at clause 2 below.

1.3 As a part of the registration process you will be asked to create an individual profile which can be viewed by landlords and agents advertising accommodation on Our Housing Platform. Please see Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for further details as to how we collect, use and store your personal data.

1.4 You may also create a ‘Group Profile’ if you wish to rent accommodation with a group of other students or University staff members. Please note that the guarantor requirements listed in clause 3 apply to each individual in a Group Profile.

1.5 In registering on the Our Housing Platform you agree that:

1.5.1 you will adhere at all times to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy;

1.5.2 if you are a student or prospective student, from the date on which your accommodation agreement will commence, you are enrolled or have accepted a place to be enrolled at one of our member institutions a list of which can be access here;

1.5.3 if you are a university staff member, from the date on which your accommodation agreement will commence, you are employed or have accepted an offer of employment at one of one of our member institutions a list of which can be accessed here;

1.5.4 you are not currently, nor have you ever been, subject to any bankruptcy proceedings; and

1.5.5 you are at least 18 years old and are legally capable of entering into binding contracts.


2. Housing Platform services


2.1 There are two types of properties that are advertised on Our Housing Platform:

2.1.1 Advertisement Only. These properties are generally offered by Letting Agents and Independent Halls of Residences and properties are advertised on a listing only basis. We do not provide any services in relation to these properties and we do not manage these properties. You can use our Housing Platform to contact the advertiser directly to ask questions and arrange viewings and submit booking requests. Contracts and payments will be handled directly by the advertiser.

2.1.2 Housing Platform Supported Properties. These properties are generally offered by private landlords. These properties will also be directly managed by the landlord. However, you will sign a University of London approved accommodation agreement with your landlord on Our Housing Platform. Our Housing Platform will also facilitate the collection of deposit and rent payments to your landlord and offer a communication tool which will allow you to communicate with your landlord throughout the accommodation agreement period. Any deposit collected via Our Housing Platform will be sent in full to landlords without deduction. The University will not hold deposits at any point. We will use a third party payment system for transfer of the deposit. The landlord must protect any deposit taken in connection with an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement within 30 days of the tenant making payment.

2.2 The terms in the remainder of this clause 2 do not apply to Advertisement Only properties.

2.3 In respect of Housing Platform Supported Properties, you may enquire through advertisements by following the prompts on Our Housing Platform to obtain further details and arrange a property viewing. Property viewings will be carried out by the landlord themselves.

2.4 Should you find a suitable accommodation, you can request to book this accommodation via Our Housing Platform and the landlord will be informed. Should they accept, an accommodation agreement will be made available for all parties to sign on Our Housing Platform.

2.5 Students and staff members will normally require a UK-based guarantor in order to be able to pay rent monthly. Please see Clause 3 for details of guarantor requirements. Should you not be able to offer a UK-based guarantor then the landlord may require that you pay an additional amount of rent in advance which will be indicated in the accommodation agreement. The maximum amount of advance rent that we allow landlords to request via Our Housing Platform is 6 months. We also allow the option for students and staff members to pay full rent for the entire accommodation agreement in advance if they wish. However, we do not generally recommend this option.

2.6 We facilitate your payment of rent to the landlord through Our Housing Platform. Please see further details regarding payments at clause 6 below. The terms on which your rent is payable is governed by your accommodation agreement entered into with your landlord.


3. Guarantor requirements


3.1 For Our “Housing Platform Supported Properties” Students and staff members will normally require a UK-based guarantor in order to be able to pay rent monthly. 

3.2 In respect of “Advertisement Only” Properties, the requirements for guarantors will vary and we advise that you ask the advertisers for details of their requirements when enquiring about a property.

3.3 The general requirements of guarantors for “Housing Platform Supported Properties” are listed below. Please note that some landlords may ask for additional information or wish to arrange reference checks for guarantors. Where this is the case the landlord will handle this independently of Our Housing Platform.

3.3.1 The guarantor must either be a UK resident or a UK citizen.

3.3.2 The guarantor must have a UK bank account.

3.3.3 Your guarantor will be required to complete the guarantee section of the accommodation agreement.

3.4 You must obtain the guarantors consent to act as a guarantor and for you to share their details with us before you provide their details to us. Please refer to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for full details of how we collect, use and store personal information. 

3.5 If at any time during your tenancy you do not pay the rent on time as specified by your student rental accommodation agreement entered into with your landlord, we may use Our Housing Platform to inform your guarantor and request that either you or they pay any amounts due and not paid.


4. Accommodation advertisements


4.1 All advertisements on Our Housing Platform are prepared by landlords, agents and other advertisers and we have no responsibility for any content in advertisements, nor for the accuracy and completeness of any content in advertisements, whether or not the content in advertisements may result in any liability to any third party. In the event that we become aware of any illegal or offensive content in advertisements, we shall remove this content as soon as practicable after becoming aware of such content.

4.2 Advertisements are subject to change at any time and do not constitute a binding offer on the landlord to offer you accommodation on such terms.

4.3 We are not responsible if properties do not correspond to advertisements and we recommend that you always view the property before signing an accommodation agreement.


5. Your accommodation agreement with your landlord


The contract terms constituting your accommodation agreement will be between yourself (and others if you are part of a Group Profile) and that landlord only. You will be provided with a copy of your accommodation agreement when the landlord accepts your application to rent the property and it is your responsibility to review the terms. We will not enter into an accommodation agreement with you.


6. Payments


6.1 For Our Housing Platform Supported Properties, we will facilitate the payment of deposits and rent between students and university staff members and landlords.

6.2 You can make payments through Our Housing Platform by using a UK or EU debit or credit card. Please note that Our Housing Platform does not currently support bank cards registered outside the UK and EU.

6.3 You will be required to enter your card details when you book a property and sign the accommodation agreement. These details will be used to collect your deposit and initial rental payment along with any regular rental payments in line with the terms of your accommodation agreement with the landlord. Please note monthly rent payments will collected from student payment cards 72 hours prior to the Rent Payment Day indicated on the accommodation agreement. This is to ensure that it clears into the landlord's bank account on time each month.

6.4 We use a third party company, Stripe Payments Europe Limited (“Stripe”) to process all payments made through Our Housing Platform. Stripe is a company registered in Ireland with company number 513174 and offices at The One Building, 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland. 


7. Your rights to cancel your account


7.1 You can cancel your account (governed by the Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms) with us at any time. However, this will not have the effect of cancelling any accommodation agreement you have signed with a landlord. Your rights to end your accommodation agreement will depend wholly on the terms of your agreement with the landlord.

7.2 In the event you cancel your account during a period that you have an active accommodation agreement with a landlord arranged via Our Housing Platform, this will prevent our Platform facilitating rental payments and therefore might put you at risk of breaching your agreement with the landlord. We would advise that you contact us for assistance in this case before you cancel your online account.

7.3 To cancel your account please let us know by visiting your account on Our Housing Platform and opting to delete your account via the “Settings” tab. You may also inform us by telephone or email: Call us on 020 7862 8880 or email us at housing@london.ac.uk. Please provide your name, university name, home address, phone number and email address.

7.4 Refunds. We are providing you with access to Our Housing Platform free of charge. If you have any questions about refunds in relation to your accommodation agreement, please contact your landlord. 

8. Our rights to end this agreement

8.1 When we may end this agreement. We may end this agreement at any time if:

8.1.1 you cease at any time to comply with the criteria for using Our Housing Platform as detailed in clause 1.5 above;

8.1.2 you do not, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information that is necessary for us to provide the Services, for example, proof of your student or staff status;

8.1.3 at any time if we choose to cease to provide services. Terminating these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms will not have the effect of cancelling any accommodation agreement in place with a landlord, so on our termination of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms you will still be bound by the obligations in your accommodation agreement including ongoing payment obligations to the landlord to pay rent. Your cancellation right to end your tenancy will depend wholly on the terms of your accommodation agreement with the landlord and we are not a party to this agreement.

9. If there is a problem with the services


9.1 How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about Our Housing Platform, please contact us. You can telephone us on 020 7862 8880 or write to us at housing@london.ac.uk. You can also find details of our complaints procedure here.


10. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you


10.1 We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, we are only responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable and direct result of our breaking this agreement. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time this agreement was made, both we and you knew it might happen.

10.2 We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited by law.

10.3 We are not liable for business losses. We only supply the services through Our Housing Platform or otherwise for domestic and private use. If you use the services for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.


11. How we may use your personal information


11.1 Please refer to Our Housing Platform Privacy Policy for full details of how we collect, use, store and retain your personal information during and following the termination or expiry of this agreement.


12. Other important terms


12.1 We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms to another organisation. We will contact you to let you know if we plan to do this.

12.2 Nobody else has any rights under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms. This agreement is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms.

12.3 If a court finds part of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

12.4 Even if we delay in enforcing these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking these terms, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date.

12.5 Which laws apply to these Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms and where you may bring legal proceedings. These Student, Staff and Guarantor Terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in the Courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Scottish or the English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Northern Irish or the English courts.


Last Updated: July 2020

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