Because of the way the law works Tenancy Services cannot give advice about flatmate disputes. However, it is important to know that anyone who moves into a flat, and signs a Tenancy Agreement Form along with any other people, is taking on shared responsibility for the whole tenancy. This is called being jointly and severally liable and means that if one of the tenants causes damage to the property or gets behind in paying rent, all of the other tenants can be held responsible and may have to pay the debt if the offending tenant does not.

Citizens Advice Bureau and student accommodation advisers can offer advice on flatmate relationships.

Discrimination

A landlord may not discriminate against a person because of their colour, race, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, age, religious or ethical belief, because they have children, because they are unemployed, or any other prohibited reasons as set out in the Human Rights Act 1993. A tenant who has grounds to believe that they have been discriminated against may choose to take the matter to the Tenancy Tribunal or to the Human Rights Commission.