Review of Leeds Unipol Code for Shared Student Housing – Consultation Process

Unipol Student Homes has carried out a review of the Leeds Code for shared student houses.

Following 4 meetings of the Review Group and an extensive consultation process, a revised version of the Code was agreed and came into effect from August 1st 2009. The Review Group then discussed revisions to the starred property standard.

The consultation process attracted 23 detailed responses and led to a number of alterations being made to the draft version of the Unipol Code. These include:

• Removing the requirement for owners of all large shared student houses and some medium sized ones to install a fire alarm control panel;
• Providing additional clarification as to what owners with late running repair and refurbishment programmes need to do to ensure tenants are not adversely effected;
• Taking account of the presence of historic decorative glasswork in external doors when requiring any changes to be made in the construction of external door;
• Removing the proposal for dusk to dawn low energy white lighting to high risk areas surrounding a property;
• Adding in a specific reference to 24 hour Neighbourhood Helpline, operated by the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University

A document summarising the responses received can be downloaded by clicking here 

The Unipol Board approved the revised Code on June 17th 2009 , with two additional amendments: 1) To include a statement that a landlord failing to protect deposits under the relavant legilation will be in breach of the Code; 2) That guidance be given that any period doors removed to fit fire doors should be retained on the premises in the event that they could be used later by a subsequent owner. 

The final version of the revised Code is on the Unipol Leeds website.