Accomodation policy criticised
The University has been criticised following a legal dispute where a landlord unsuccessfully tried to sue her tenants for withholding a proportion of their monthly rent. Both parties have criticised the University’s handling of the legal issue which they believe could have been resolved far sooner if effective mediation had been provided.
Rashta Yaqoob, the landlord, stated that the court case could have been altogether avoided if there “had been someone from the University to come out at the time and look themselves and mediated at the time”.
Hannah Welsh, one of Yaqoob’s former tenants , claimed that the whole experience was stressful and that it had appeared to them as if the university had been “in support of her [Yaqoob]”.
University Accommodation Manager Phillip Prosser, responded to the accusation by stating that “we as a general rule offer information or advice and then where need be refer them on to a more specialist worker” and that the remit of the department did not include “case work” where the department would actively attempt to settle disputes of these nature. Prosser also mentioned that cases of non-compliance with the code of best practice would be investigated further but that cases of this nature were “different from just giving general welfare advice”.
The court case emerged following the tenants of 63 Heslington Road withholding a proportion of rent to which they believed they were entitled due to ongoing building work.
The contract contained an agreement for half rent to be paid during the time that building work was undertaken and the dispute arose when further work occured outside the time frame provided. The tenants refused to pay full rent for the period and Yaqoob, claiming that the work was remedial and not essential according housing to and council regulations, decided to initiate legal proceedings.
