Conference Exhibition & Sponsorship
Training and Development: Late Afternoon Sessions
These sessions will take place on Tuesday 9th April from 15:00
Alleged Racketeering by Letting Agents: All Charges Dropped.
Hilary Crook
Hatch Legal
Red 6
In 2012, Scotland banned letting agents from charging fees to tenants. Now the rest of the UK is catching up, with the Tenant Fees Act in England, the Renting Homes (Fees etc) (Wales) Act. In Northern Ireland, student tenants have successfully used the Commission on the Disposal of Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 to recover fees from letting agents.
The new legislation will affect:
• landlords who collect rent in unequal instalments
• accommodation providers who charge separately for gym membership, internet, res life or possessions insurance
• landlords who charge a booking fee or cancellation fee
• landlords who insist on a tenant providing a professional guarantor; and
• the practice of fining students for misconduct in student accommodation.
Scottish Legal News – updates and any questions?
Claire Thornber, Weightmans (Scotland)
LLP
Blue 6
Aimed at anyone who has issues arising in Scotland in relation to tenancy law, this session will provide a round up of current legal issues and highlight any relevant differences between the legal systems in England and Northern Ireland. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to raise any questions and in the interactive part of the session to share current experiences.
Students and Cognitive Enhancement Drugs
Liam Watson
Drugstraining.com
Yellow 6
This session will examine the issues raised by students’ use of cognitive enhancement drugs (“Smart” Pills).
Accommodation Codes of Practice. Are they a help to me?
Michael Ball
ASRA Rep for UUK Code. Chair UUK Code Sector Advisory Group.
Orange 6
Codes of Practice. Help or hindrance, benchmarking or admin necessity, customer focused or a complaints framework. A discussion session on the development of the codes of practice currently in place and the impacts on the Student Accommodation Industry. This session will provide an opportunity to assess examples of positive outcomes from membership of codes, identify some challenges that arise and review how continuous development of the codes could be positive for all providers in student accommodation.
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