This paper examines the extent to which law and regulation protects students renting from private individuals or private companies, as opposed to universities, in both of the main types of student accommodation, the private rented sector (PRS) and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). It first examines the different problems faced by students in both tenure types, notably issues of repair and the failure of PBSA providers to complete accommodation in time for the beginning of term. Secondly, it considers consumerisation of private renting and the extent to which a consumer protection law approach can assist tenants generally, and students specifically. Thirdly, the paper explains how power relationships between students and landlords and issues with access to legal advice restrict access to justice for student as tenants. It is argued that whilst consumer contract law and consumer protection law have something to offer student tenants (particularly in PBSA) a generic consumer approach to the rights of tenants is insufficient because the nature of the landlord and tenant relationship inhibits access to legal redress. It is concluded that in addition to improved consumer protections, a proactive approach by both local authorities and universities could significantly improve the experiences of students.

中文翻译：

---

法律和它有什么关系？消费者法是解决学生租户面临的问题的方法吗？

本文研究了法律和法规在多大程度上保护从私人或私人公司租房的学生，而不是大学，这两种主要类型的学生住宿，私人租赁部门 (PRS) 和专门建造的学生住宿 (PBSA) ）。它首先检查学生在两种任期类型中面临的不同问题，特别是维修问题和 PBSA 提供者未能在学期开始前及时完成住宿。其次，它考虑了私人租赁的消费化以及消费者保护法方法可以在多大程度上帮助租户，特别是学生。第三，本文解释了学生与房东之间的权力关系以及获得法律建议的问题如何限制学生作为租户获得正义的机会。有人认为，虽然消费者合同法和消费者保护法可以为学生租户提供一些东西（特别是在 PBSA 中），但对租户权利的通用消费者方法是不够的，因为房东和租户关系的性质阻碍了获得法律补救的机会。得出的结论是，除了改善消费者保护外，地方当局和大学采取积极主动的方法可以显着改善学生的体验。