Case Summaries

The student complained to the provider that they had been bullied by the Residence Manager during their previous time in the accommodation and that the decision to block them from applying to any provider accommodation was unreasonable. They also disputed the charge for the broken window. The provider did not uphold the complaint, concluding there was no evidence of bullying, it was appropriate for the student to be blocked from applying to accommodation and the charge was appropriate for the damage.

The student complained to us. We partly upheld the complaint (we decided it was Partly Justified). We decided that the charge for the broken window was appropriate and in accordance with the tenancy agreement. But we decided that the provider’s decision to block the student from applying for any provider-owned accommodation was unreasonable. The student had two warnings for minor misconduct that were issued in the first year of residence and which had not prevented them from successfully applying for accommodation for a second year. The provider said it had ongoing concerns about the student’s behaviour, but it had not taken any formal action to address these. We decided that the evidence did not demonstrate a pattern of behaviour that would have justified blocking the student from applying for accommodation at any of the provider’s accommodation sites.

We recommended that the provider should apologise to the student for its handling of the decision to prevent them from applying for accommodation and pay a small sum for the distress and inconvenience caused by this decision.