Safe as Houses… Really? Student Home-Safety in Canterbury.

How safe really are young students, when renting student-houses for the first time? How important to landlords is Student Home-Safety?

Landlords and letting agents must conduct risk assessments to ensure student home-safety.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) comprises 29 points.  All student landlords must consider 29 safety points before renting accommodation to students and other renters of accommodation verifying that tenant’s houses are both safe and secure.

Ironically, it is said that people are more likely to sustain injuries at home, than anywhere else.

There is a  presumption that people’s homes should be their safest sanctuary.  Statistics show this is contrary to reality – most personal injuries occur at home. Student home-safety is thus more important than is even apparent.

Leydon Lettings Agency goes further to improve student home-safety, and encourages Canterbury landlords to follow suit.

All Leydon Lettings student houses are equipped with a minimum of four detectors.  These detectors alert our student residents to the presence of common life threatening issues: smoke, gas, heat and carbon monoxide.  The detectors (few are legally required) are all mains-wired and interlinked to the alarm system. In addition the  detectors are  all  backed up with batteries in case of electricity failure! This ensures maximum student home-safety for our tenants.  See also http://leydonlettings.co.uk/students-why-make-leydon-lettings-your-first-choice/ 

‘Over-the-top’ unseen dangers made safer!

Leydon Lettings lofts are equipped with student home-safety smoke detectors. It is little appreciated that lofts contain electric cables located below water tanks. Add gas pipes, and flammable loft insulation and the dangers increase. Together, these can all become a source of ignition!  Once ablaze, a fire can remain concealed in a loft.  It may thus be too late to rescue any sleeping resident students in their bedrooms, directly below a loft.   Loft spaces are separated from student’s bedrooms below. In most student houses this separation is only a thin layer of plaster board.  The plaster material is barely the thickness of a slice of bread (9.5mm),  This is all that separates sleeping students in their bedrooms from a loft fire or smoke inhalation.

Free Student Welcome-Packs for your safety!

Leydon Lettings housing is unique and renowned for student home-safety.   We provide a free welcome pack, which includes life saving tips on safety, including how to avoid legionaries disease. We also explain how to quickly isolate mains valves and switches in an emergency: electric, gas and water utilities.  And how to avoid flooding from freezing burst pipes.  Rather than merely boasting about these unique selling points (USPs), Leydon Lettings Agency encourages and welcomes all landlord clients and competitors to follow suit.

The law does not go far enough for Leydon Lettings!

Most Leydon Lettings houses feature double kitchens.  These enable more than one student to cook safely at separate hobs. Too many cooks can be dangerous in a single kitchen. Leydon Lettings properties regularly feature fire doors. We provide these even when there is no legal requirement.  Leydon Lettings takes the view that the law does not go far enough to protect tenants!  If the law requires a smoke detector on every floor, then Leydon Lettings will install detectors in every room – in the interests of student home-safety!  If the law requires CO detectors in locations where there is a solid fuel burner (this is a legal requirement) then Leydon Lettings will in addition install them in locations where there is a gas boiler (not a legal requirement).  Leydon Lettings does not wait for legislation before becoming motivated to improve student home-safety.

Many landlords and Letting agents describe in words how much they care about their tenants.  Parents demonstrate their care for their children by protecting them from danger. Similarly, Leydon Lettings care for their tenants by protecting them from danger.  It is thus evident that Leydon Lettings cares deeply about Student tenant’s home-safety and well being.

In addition (like most landlord rented houses) all leydon properties comply with ‘gas safe’ and electric safety legislation, including PAT testing (portable appliance test) .   However, there is no legal requirement to service gas appliances. Again, Leydon Lettings voluntarily goes beyond legal compliance, by annually servicing boilers and the like.

Security and safety should not be isolated when fitting locks.

Some landlord locks are secure but are not necessarily safe.  Leydon Lettings’ bedrooms and entrance doors feature key-less egress locks.  This aspect of student home-safety is achieved by fitting thumb-turn locks on the inside face of doors.  Such action ensures that our tenants doors can be locked securely, only once they have left their room. Inside they cannot become trapped because they cannot locate their keys thereby preventing escape amidst chaos.  Confusion occurs when alarms sound – smoke alarms, fire engines, in addition to  the sound of screaming housemates.  All this adds to confusion whilst battling smoke and flames.

Support and  Comfort

But Leydon Lettings does not stop at pure safety alone.  Most Leydon Lettings bedrooms also feature double beds with orthopedic mattresses.  This provides students with additional back-support and  comfort.  Leydon Lettings therefore really does offer exceptional student home-safety.

How safe is your home?  How well will you sleep tonight…?  Students are safer with Leydon.

Bob Leydon (MARLA).