Being a student is tough enough as it is. Facing mountains of student debt, a cost of living crisis, and just to top it off – terrible housing conditions. A simple search on social media platforms revealed stories from users sharing their experiences renting in Brighton and Hove, but what I discovered when reaching out to students was truly appalling.
How bad housing led to homelessness
I spoke with Casey, a student at the University of Brighton who was made homeless after a Brighton lettings agency rented a property to her which did not fit HMO standards, thus being illegal to rent. According to the Housing Rights organization, if properties owned are found to not fit HMO standards, their licence to rent could be revoked. As of 2024, all properties with 5 or more people living in must have a HMO licence. It is optional for properties with less than 5 people living in to have a HMO licence, but they can opt to have an ‘additional’ HMO licence. This property located in Kemptown, when inspected by Brighton Council, was found to not meet these minimum property standards, meaning that Casey and her housemates were put into unsafe, illegal housing, which was dangerous to be living in. This meant the council had no choice but to force her out of the property, and serve her with a prohibition notice, leaving her with nowhere to go in the middle of term and to no fault of her own.
Whilst at this address for eight weeks, she experienced raw sewage flooding her basement room, metal bars over windows which left no fire routes out the house, no fire alarms, a fly infestation, and extreme mould. This mould was so extreme it led to the hospitalisation of one of her housemates four times due the mould flaring up her chronic illness. In addition, when the property was inspected by fire safety standards she was told if she stayed there that the fire brigade would be ‘bringing four dead bodies’ out the house. Casey and her housemates were not offered alternative housing as the landlord did not have the correct licensing to do so, and at no point were they reimbursed for their rent payments, which was over 800 pounds per month. Now, these students are facing a difficult legal battle with the agency, as they will not allow her to drop the contract – despite a clause in her contract stating that either party can drop the contract if the house is uninhabitable for 4 weeks.
Further allegations
Whilst these allegations are unsettling, they are rife. Another student informed me of similar issues in regard to fire safety stating, “I paid a lot for a small one bedroom flat with an illegal fire door, rotting windows, and no heating. When I complained asking them to fix these issues as mould was growing and the winter was about to hit, they served me an eviction notice to be out three days before Christmas.”
These allegations of unliveable and unsafe housing continued, with another student sharing that they “had rats, an endless shower leak, a collapsing kitchen ceiling, dampness on the walls, and no lights in the kitchen. At the end of our tenancy they tried to deduct 1000 pounds from our deposit. Throughout our time at Riley Road, the leaks would trip the electrics, and the electrical team put a bin bag around a lamp in the kitchen with gaffa tape and left it for two months.”
Another group of students experienced “squatters living in the house just a couple of days before we were about to move in.” Going on to state “The property was filthy, all carpets were stained and ruined, the waste pipes leaked from the kitchen into one of the bedrooms, mushrooms grew in one of the bathrooms, and there was mould everywhere.” I was informed by this student that “The HMO licence for the house was not valid, and it failed the inspection while we were living in it. We were treated with extreme hostility by our letting agency.”
Whilst renting under a different estate agency last year myself and my housemates encountered many issues with the house we rented. One of my housemates’ rooms was so mouldy the walls had to completely be stripped and repainted as it was affecting her respiratory health. During the two days the room was occupiable and our landlords did not provide us with alternative accommodation for her despite the fact she could not sleep in her room – she still had to pay the normal amount of rent and she was forced to sleep on our living room floor during this period.
So why is renting for students so bad?
It is often assumed that Students may not be fully aware of their rights as tenants, making it difficult to raise concerns about issues on the property with landlords. Knowing your basic rights as tenants, for example, the right to live in a property which is safe and in a good state, the right to be protected from unfair eviction and rent, the right to challenge excessive charges and the right to live in the property undisturbed. Landlords often lack the prioritisation of maintenance and fail to respond promptly and efficiently to repair requests, leaving students to deal with simple problems for extended periods of time, as these issues get increasingly worse, causing further damage and more serious health conditions. Furthermore, student accommodation is often priced extortionately in comparison to other rental options in the same University towns, due to high demand and limited supply, leaving students with very few options on their limited budget. These options are often damp, unkept, and lack proper care with appropriately named ‘landlord specials’ being the norm. According to Save The Student, 37% of students stated that they had issues with damp, 29% said a lack of water or heating, 18% said rodents and pests, 18% stated disrupted building work and 13% experienced inappropriate/unannounced landlord visits. The National Students Union reported that these figures could be even higher stating 84% of students have experienced issues in their housing – including almost half with mould or mildew. When I reached out to students at the University of Sussex, 44% of respondents claimed that they had experienced discrimination whilst renting in Brighton, with a further 72% stating that renting had been a particularly stressful and negative experience. The Badger’s research further concluded that local students do feel that there needed to be better regulation for student houses with 98% of respondents stating that the regulations in place were not adequate enough, and fail to provide students with safe and suitable housing.
What happens to letting agents who rent out these illegal properties?
When The Badger reached out to Brighton and Hove City council, inquiring about which companies had broken HMO regulations, and asking to see tenure records. I was told by the council that they do not record this information – despite the council being entirely responsible for checking HMO regulations, conducting inspections to ensure properties meet fire and amenity standards, and then enforcing these standards against landlords and letting agencies via the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). However, after submitting my Freedom of Information Request to the council, several weeks later on February 5th 2025 a HMO licence register appeared on the council website, leading me to suspect that this information has only just been compiled and recorded as I reached out to them.
Penalties for illegally renting out houses which do not follow HMO regulations include unlimited fines, rent repayment, and for repeat offenders – criminal convictions including jail time. However, with Brighton and Hove Council initially failing to keep a record of repeat offenders, and a record of properties which fail HMO regulations, how will students know which houses and letting agencies are best to steer clear of? Furthermore, this brings into question whether or not repeat offenders who continue to break HMO laws and rent unsafe houses are honestly held accountable, without adequate records being kept. If before my information request this information had not been recorded or publicly available, this raises suspicion as to why this information had not been recorded previously. Why would the council fail to keep record of tenure when it is their job to regulate the quality and safety of rented houses – especially for students, who may not be fully aware of their rights to clean and safe housing? It seems to me that this lack of prioritization for renters undermines their role as the council, which is to provide services which benefit and aid the local community.
What does this mean for students affected?
If you feel your house is unsafe and unsuitable for living, you can begin with initially contacting your landlord in order to express your concerns in writing, and instruct for the necessary repairs to be carried out. As students we often need to advocate for ourselves, tell your landlord about your safety concerns, document any issues, note specific details, and take photos and videos of the issue in concern. If you don’t receive an adequate response and the issues are not addressed appropriately, reiterate the urgency and state how this is affecting you and your household. If your landlord and lettings agency fails to provide their services and assistance, reach out to Brighton and Hove Council housing department, to report your concerns in order for them to provide you with support. The council may inspect your home to check that it fits the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which sets basic living standards for homes, or if you are a household of 5 or more, that your home has a HMO licence. If these issues persist, and your landlord refuses to repair damages, contact a solicitor or student housing advice services who will aid you with taking legal action, including taking your landlord and letting agents to court. If you believe you are in immediate danger in your accommodation, contact emergency services or consider temporary accommodation if you are in the fortunate financial position to do so.
We deserve better
We all deserve liveable housing. Students do not deserve sewage filled bedrooms, mushrooms growing out of cracks in the walls, or respiratory issues from mould and dampness, no one does. Whilst laws and regulations are in place to prevent such poor living conditions, from my investigation it certainly seems that far too many students have repeatedly experienced poor conditions whilst renting shared houses in Brighton – particularly those who may be financially disadvantaged, and have very few renting options within their price range.
I urge all who read this and suspect they may be in illegal housing which does not fit the 2018 Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act, or would fail to fit the HMO Licence, to take action and advocate for themselves.