Including repairs and common issues!

Welcome to the last, and final part of our ultimate housing guide - in this section we will be going through living in Bath. This includes, bills and utilities, repairs & common issues, the community and support. 

1. Bills and utilities

Most of the time bills are not included in your rent, unless you move into Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) or lodging.

You could probably expect to be paying something like the below for bills in a 4 bed house. This is per person and is the average, so you should expect to pay more than this. 

It is important to...

• Share the responsibility
• Make sure everyone is named on the bills
• Regularly submit meter readings
• Don't skip out on paying contents insurance and TV license

If you want to use a bill splitting company, you will be paying more. For example, if you go through Uni Homes, you could expect to pay £113.05pm. 

EPC Rating
Another thing to look for when house hunting is the EPC rating. This is a grade from A - G, a rental property should never have an EPC rating of F or G. 

The lower the grade, the more you should expect to be paying for your utilities. 

The average in Bath is a grade D. If you're torn between two properties and one had a grade of C, and the other a grade of E, you should probably go for the property with the C grade. 

2. Repairs and maintenance

As you will be living in the property for a year, or even two, you will almost certainly encounter repair issues. 

It's important to know what your obligations are, and what your landlord's obligations are. 

Top tips...

• Read your contract
• Report repairs (in writing via email)
• Allow a reasonable amount of time for your landlord to get resolved
• Do chase if they do go beyond the recommended timelines
• Report to the council if they fail to act

Reasonable time periods
The period that the BathNES website consider to be 'reasonable' depends on the seriousness of the problem and how much it affects your health, safety or comfort. 

• Emergency repairs which affect your healthy or safety: 24 hours
  (e.g major electrical fault, or a blocked WC)
• Urgent repairs which affect your comfort: 5 working days
  (e.g hot water, heating, fridge failure, serious roof leak)
• Other urgent repairs: 20 working days
  (e.g shower breaking down when you are still able to take baths)

If your landlord isn't abiding by these timelines, or is refusing to do a repair that affects your health and safety, you can report the issues to the local authority. 

3. Damp and mould

This is a common issue in Bath and with rented properties. 

Is this the responsibly of your landlord or tenant?
It can depend...

• You must hear and ventilate your property appropriately.
• The landlord must ensure the property has the appropriate ventilation and heating capabilities. 

It is important to look for signs of damp when viewing properties as well as checking there's enough ventilation. 

If you do encounter issues manage them as best you can, there are products you can purchase from supermarkets to help. Do not just wipe the mould as this can spread the spores. Heat the house adequately and keep it well ventilated.

Report the issues to your landlord and contact the council. 

4. Community - be a good neighbour

This is very different to living in halls of residence at the University. Your neighbours could be families with young children, elderly or other students. 

We would recommend...

• Get to know your neighbours
• Be aware noise travels - try and limit late night noise
• Avoid bringing a car and be aware of the Residents Parking Zones
• Look after your environment e.g look after your garden

Be well and safe...

• Lock doors and close windows when you leave
• Clean regularly
• Check your smoke detectors
• Do not leave cooking unattended
• Get contents insurance
• Report repair issues
• Download the River Safety Map
• University Security (off campus) 01225 383999
• Nightline messenger (term time 8pm-8am)

This is the end of part 3, our final part of our ultimate housing guide, if you could like to contact us, please email us on reslifesupport@bath.ac.uk or check out our FAQ story. 

Good luck with your house hunting!