Find out how we're putting money back into students' pockets, after challenging Your Move on check-out fees.
Back in January, we gave you the great news of the letting fees ban, which means that estate agents and landlords can no longer charge tenants admin fees, check-out fees etc. after 1 June 2019.
This means that while they can still charge for admin fees on signing for now, they cannot charge for any services they will carry out after this date. Since then, we’ve been monitoring fees charged by estate agents through our free contract checking service at the Advice Centre to make sure that they are sticking to the rules.
Last week, we noticed that some students were charged a £45 ‘check-out fee’ by Your Move, even though they wouldn’t be checking out until 2020. University of London Housing Service legal advisors confirmed that this charge is not allowed, prompting us to contact Your Move.
Your Move Egham have confirmed that they understand such fees should not have been charged and advised us that anyone who made such a payment would be offered a refund. They have promised that any affected students will be sent a letter requesting their bank details for the refund process.
What else should I look out for?
We have noticed that some estate agents are still including banned fees in their tenancy agreements. The most common charges we have seen are 'tenancy renewal’ and ‘check-out’ fees. Please be aware that as long as your tenancy agreement starts after 1 June 2019, you do not have to pay these charges, even though you signed the contract; this is because legally unfair clauses in contracts are unenforceable.
Our recommendation is that if your landlord or estate agent asks you for money, or if you see any fees listed in your tenancy agreement, email advice@su.rhul.ac.uk for guidance before accepting any charges.
Spread the word
This information is relevant to the majority of our students, so please do your bit and share it. We all know that student life runs on a tight budget, so help us make student life better at Royal Holloway and spread the word!
The Advice Centre is a free and independent service for all students here at Royal Holloway, based on the first floor of the Students' Union building. Our friendly, experienced and professional staff will provide a listening ear and offer general and specialist advice. We’re here to support you with a whole range of issues, big and small, and if we’re not the best people to help you with a particular issue, we’ll ensure we point you in the right direction of the relevant support.