UoP Student Housing Go Above & Beyond
Sadly, one of our members recently experienced something we all hope will never happen to us. A student tenant with a neurological disorder in a shared house experienced a suspected fatal episode during the night and was found the next morning by a housemate.
Our landlord member contacted PDPLA for advice. The positive news from this terrible situation is that, in the words of our member, the University Student Housing team were amazing, so this is just a short plaudit to them in a terrible situation.
The Sad Story
Against this backdrop, UoP Student Housing had counsellors in place on the same day and did everything they could to reduce or remove any difficulties for all concerned, not just with the fellow students but also with the family and the landlord too. They ensured the family were not bothered with details about the University or the tenancy whilst also working with the remaining tenants to ensure that they could come to terms with the loss of their friend.
You would assume the landlord would lose money in this situation and in the grand scheme of things, that was not important – but Student Housing are already working with him to find ways to help the group, who had already signed up to stay on next year, to stay together while filling the space in a way which is acceptable to all.
A few weeks on, a replacement tenant has been found for next year, no one is out of pocket and the group are happy to stay together in the house with their new housemate.
So, University of Portsmouth Student Housing – if we had a 'star of the month' prize, you would have won it. Thank You.
About the author
Martin began his landlord journey 18 years ago, while working in an international role for a global telecommunications company. Since retiring he has extended his portfolio, which he manages with his wife, but has always focussed on the ‘small student HMO’ sector preferring to offer homes in the community for small groups to the more common ‘pack them in and take the money’ mentality. He has chaired the PDPLA for the past 9 years and has overseen the Associations transition from small local self-help group to a much larger and more professional institution which is recognised and listened to nationally. Alongside his PDPLA role, he also has leadership roles in a number of other local organisations – bringing his unique perspective, driving for change and increased use of technology while respecting the history that brought us here.