Students are complaining to the Council about their homes being unsafe, LS can reveal.

This year the Council has carried out 136 prosecutions in the private rented sector. LS recently exposed a case involving a house with an “insecure front door, which was falling out of the surrounding brickwork”, as well as electrical safety failures and inadequate fire precautions.

Leeds City Council has disclosed that it receives approximately 3,600 requests a year for services to inspect privately rented housing, a large proportion of which are due to concerns over safety issues.

A police spokesperson stated: “Open doors and windows allow burglars to be in and out your home in less than one minute: no noise, no evidence left at the scene and no witnesses.”

They added: “Students should insist on only renting from landlords with great security: solid external doors, anti-snap door handles and locks, burglar alarms and good window security.”

A student who lives in Hyde Park told LS: “Having been burgled within the first few weeks of moving into the house, we are very worried about our safety. Particularly because the break in was caused by a faulty lock.” Another student informed LS that their plugs spark and they have a faulty alarm system.

Gillian Browne

Photo: Sean Hayes