Member Article

ARAG and Veriwise partner to deliver support package for students

ARAG has teamed up with lawtech innovator Veriwise to deliver a student support package of accommodation safety checks, legal support with repair issues, tax advice and a confidential counselling helpline.

Very Wise Student is currently being offered free for the first year to new student clients and uses the Veriwise machine-learning platform which checks against over 150 housing regulations to identify statutory breaches, including the gas, fire and electrical safety compliance of the rented property.

The service uses ARAG’s flagship legal advice service to give students a free legal support helpline offering advice on:

• Disrepair • Boiler problems • Tenancy agreement disputes • Damp • Deposit issues • Rodent and pest infestations • Revenge issues • Rent increases • Landlord visits

Students can also make use of ARAG’sconfidential counselling helpline and get tax advice on issues like student loans, council tax and part-time work.

Commenting on the new partnership, ARAG’s Colin Fennelly, City Account Manager said:

“Partnering with Veriwise has enabled us to address some of the biggest concerns that both students and their parents have, when they leave home for further education. Is their accommodation safe?Have they got somewhere to turn if they get stressed or anxious? Could an unscrupulous landlord take them for a ride?”

“Very Wise Student offers a great match-up between the Veriwise technology and support for housing issues and ARAG’s broad helpline capabilities, that delivers a great package of benefits for students and reassurance for their parents.”

Veriwise Managing Director Ajay Jagota added:

“We are on a mission to establish Veriwise as the renters’ guardian and are delighted that ARAG has joined in our mission. The student accommodation market is one which demonstrably and undeniably needs to change. Students repeatedly have to put up with paying a premium for substandard accommodation and are all-too-often defenceless against unscrupulous and rogue landlords and letting agents.

“That a company as internationally reputable and successful as ARAG has sought Veriwise out as a partner supports two arguments I have consistently made. Firstly, insurance and legal products can improve the safety and living conditions for millions of renters where the current enforcement of legislation is clearly failing. Secondly, there is a role for private companies to leverage technology to improve the current inefficiencies and empower renters who often feel trapped and powerless when they encounter issues with their accommodation.”

After the successful launch of Very Wise Student, we are already discussing new products and services with ARAG which will continue to drive forward innovation in insurance and lettings and look forward to a productive partnership.“

Operating in the UK since 2006, ARAG plc provides a comprehensive suite of ‘before-the-event’ and ‘after-the-event’ legal expenses insurance products and assistance solutions to protect both businesses and individuals.

ARAG plc is part of the global ARAG Group, the largest family-owned enterprise in the German insurance industry. Founded in 1935, on the principle that every citizen should be able to assert their legal rights, ARAG now employs more than 4,700 people in 19 countries around the world and generates revenue and premium income totaling more than €2 billion.

Very Wise Student sister company Veriwise can take on housing disrepair claims, deposit disputes and illegal eviction claims on behalf of students should there be any issues.

Students can claim compensation from landlords or agents if there is a valid claim which is presented to legal counsel who can take the case to court to ensure the landlord complies and pays any compensation.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Hart .