Supporting you with your dispute
If there's a problem between yourself and your landlord find out what you can do next
Here's what to do if there's a problem between you and your landlord:
Get advice from Student Housing
If a you're having problems with a landlord, or the landlord is having problem with you, you should contact the Student Housing team as soon as possible. A Student Housing Officer will listen to your individual situation and provide advice.
The Student Housing team deals with issues such as:
- housemates
- rodents
- landlord not fixing things
- landlord entering property without permission
- condensation/mould/damp
- rent disputes
- deposit disputes
- start and end of tenancy disputes
- contract checking
- council tax queries
This list isn’t exhaustive, so if you need advice on anything to do with your accommodation, please get in touch.
Call us on +44 (0)23 9284 3214, or email us at student.housing@port.ac.uk. You can also follow our Twitter @UoPHousing and Facebook pages.
Or visit us:
Student Housing
University House
Winston Churchill Ave
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP
We are open Monday to Thursday: 9.00am to 5.00pm, and Fridays: 9.00am to 4.00pm
Legal advice for private housing
If you have a housing problem, occasionally you will need legal advice to help resolve it.
Your first port of call is the Student Housing Team. The Student Housing Officers are not legally trained, but have a wealth of experience and accommodation-related training. They can go through the problems you are experiencing and advise how to resolve the matter. They will advise you to seek legal advice in situations such as:
- severe disrepair issues in a property (including compensation)
- illegal eviction
- harassment (from a landlord, agency, housemate or neighbour)
- deposit disputes
- rent arrears
- financial issues (your housemate owes you large sums of money)
- contractual disputes (including whether you can legally end your tenancy early)
What legal advice is available and how to access it
You can access the following services for free:
UoP School of Law Legal Advice Clinic
We can advise you on landlord and tenant problems such as:
- Can I leave my tenancy early?
- How do I get my tenancy deposit back?
To book an appointment, contact: advice@port.ac.uk and +44 (0)77 1138 9522 or +44 (0)23 9284 4114.
Appointments are available from September to July on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Find out more about the UoP Legal Clinic.
Citizens Advice Bureau
Alternatively, you can try the Portsmouth branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau, which is located a short walk from the University on Winston Churchill Avenue. Find out more about the Portsmouth Citizen's Advice Bureau.