Supporting students as they take their first steps into the rental market is a big responsibility and it pays to provide clear instructions on how to take care of the property and contact details to assist with any issues.
However, as you’d expect, working with this youthful market does provide a few laughs as the tenants navigate their way through the ‘university of life’.
We asked agents at a top student lettings office to highlight some of the unexpected requests and situations that landlords might want to be prepare for!
Hot stuff
Although most students are a dab hand with the washing machine by the time they reach university, the team once got an SOS call from a tenant who claimed, ‘The washing machine is heating up my clothes!’ … cue instructions for the washer-dryer.
Office services
Requests for assistance with printing are not out of the ordinary from students desperate to get their assignments in on time.
Bright sparks
The team are often called on to provide ‘coaching’ for tenants who haven’t yet changed a light bulb or flicked the trip switch on a fuse board.
Target practice
Many student households enjoy a bit of target practice with the kitchen bin. As you’d imagine, it can get messy and the team have had to step in and put a stop to the fun on the odd occasion.
Travelling light
Overseas students like to travel light. From clothes-dryers to exercise bikes, the team are often left with a wide range of interesting articles to dispose of at the end of the year.
Cheers!
Finally, on a celebratory note, the team once had to organise a paint refresh especially for a property where the students had let loose with the champagne on hearing the good news about their final exams. Happy days!
3 September 2018