Universities UK code of practice
The Housing Act (2004) introduced licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Most student accommodation falls within the HMO definition. However, large-scale student housing (e.g. in halls of residence) entails different management arrangements to those for a "student house". Moreover licensing large student accommodation in the same way as single off street properties are licensed would be a logistical nightmare and incredibly expensive!
Consequently, when developing the Housing Act 2004, the government agreed to “exempt” educational establishments from mandatory HMO licensing provided they signed up to a code of management practice, approved by the Government.
The Codes of Management Practice are voluntary, aspirational and seek to raise standards above that which is required by law. They aim to help those managing student accommodation to identify the key elements of good management practice. The codes therefore set out standards to measure the good management practice of student accommodation (this could be anything from health and safety to mail delivery to returning of deposits).
The UUK/Guild HE code was developed specifically for educational establishments. Members of the Code are required to be independently audited. The audit process will include talking to student representative bodies as well as inspecting documentary evidence of the institutions compliance with the code and a physical inspection of a sample of the accommodation. Any formal complaints made by students involving the Code of Practice also have to be reported to Universities UK as part of the monitory process.
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