To ask why landlords won't let to students

[DreamsOfDownUnder]

I'm off back in to education at the ripe old age of 26 and looking at moving to a house once my tenancy is up so my little girl will have a garden to play in (in a first floor flat at the moment).. can ask why landlords won't let to students?

Or is just the stereotypical student? I'm single parent of 1 working part time and will continue to do so whilst at college and then university.

A blanket ban on students would be unlawful discrimination.

Student landlords I’ve met tell me that their tenants often try to withhold their last month’s rent in lieu of the deposit they expect to lose for trashing the house! I know that not everyone behaves like that but I can see why landlords wouldn’t want to risk it.

Interesting, because I know a LOT of students, and recent graduates, and don't know a single one without a tale of how much the landlord has ripped them off and tried to withhold their deposits despite the fact there has been no damage.

FiddlesticksAkimbo

I don’t think it would be as being a student isn’t a protected characteristic.

Disagree with most previous posters.
Most landlords rent to either students or non-students and that's the way their business is set up.
Students generally change each year at the same time, want furnished properties, want lots of bedrooms, property may be empty over summer. Students pay reliably due to student loans and have well off parents who bail them out. They may or may not be more messy/noisy than average. I suspect students will be much less likely to completely trash a property.
Other tenants may have pets/children, may be fussier about condition of property, may stay ages or may move on, property may be more likely to be empty for a while in between.
Obviously it's not straightforward to switch between the two.
However OP clearly doesn't fit the typical student model.
It's like anything, sell yourself. Write an email that mentions your income, how long you want to stay, your age. Don't mention that you are a (mature) student till later.

Our hearts sank two years ago when we realised that our next door neighbour, having had to let his house when he took a contract to work abroad, had let to 4 young men sharing , newly graduated from the local uni

. My youngest DD was the most alarmed - as she was a recent graduate herself who had come home to live. ‘Students! Boys! The noise ! That’s an XBox ! If they are playing bloody FIFA in the room next to my bedroom at 2 in the morning I’ll be round there .......’

They have been the loveliest of neighbours - we were a bit concerned when we saw them having a blitz on the garden, wondering if it was an end of tenancy inspection - but phew, just one moving out and another in.

I don’t think it would be as being a student isn’t a protected characteristic.

I think it would be indirect discrimination based on age, which is protected. If you put a blanket ban on students in place that's going to disproportionately affect young people.

It's the same as the principle that treating part-time workers differently disproportionately affects women.

I rent to students. I rent out five properties and I don’t care who rents it if they can pay the rent. In fact I’m amazed students can afford one flat - two beds, two baths and two balconies at £1500/month! But it’s a uni town and I’m never short of a tenant. They do sign up for six month lease and most stay for two years. Never had any problems.

Is it not because of the extra hassle of HMO licenses?

met tell me that their tenants often try to withhold their last month’s rent in lieu of the deposit they expect to lose for trashing the house! I know that not everyone behaves like that but I can see why landlords wouldn’t want to risk it

This is why I use the university (through their accommodation service) as the agent. Students are very reliable when they are paying the rent directly to their university. I suppose there might be some who drop out of university leaving unpaid rent, but I've never had that. I don't rent to first-years, who presumably are more likely to do that.

It's just like landlords saying 'no pets' because they want to give themselves the freedom to reject large dogs. If you approach them and say 'I have one house-trained cat' they may well say that's fine.

I used to be a landlord, including to students. I was disappointed in the way they (mostly and on average) conformed to lazy stereotypes. I'd have much preferred and been impressed, had they not done. My sterotypical rule of thumb then, would be 'no-one of standard undergrad age (so 18-21), or in their first rental and women are better tenants than men'. According to which stereotypes, you'd be ideal.

I'd expect most students have little credit/previous rental referencing to go off. If you're a mature student with a child, I would imagine most landlords would view that more favourably than you're average teenager living away from home for the first time.

"I also don't consider £2800 pm a low income", don't forget, we're generalising here, in general, students may find it difficult to rent due to their low income. You may well have a better income, but I don't think landlords can ask what you earn.
Also, everyone says they are a great tenant - I bet no landlord has ever heard "well, I will never clean, and I may fall behind on the rent".
So landlords look out for warning signs - dirty car, smelly person, student...

OP I struggled. I’m a single Mum with 3DC and a student... It was horrendous. Took over 30 viewings before my current landlady took a shine to me.

This was with 3 glowing references, a deposit, 3 months rent up front, proof of income.

Absolute nightmare. Good luck.