A new scheme aims to help protect students from being exploited when they rent a house.

The Home Sweet Home campaign was launched following a consultation with students and young people who have run into problems when renting from private landlords.

The community campaign, which is being run by students, young professionals and families, will provide tenants with advice and support.

Home Sweet Home leader Chris Henry said: “It’s great to know we have so many people behind us as we take the campaign for better private rented accommodation forward for the better.”

They were joined at the official campaign launch by Brighton Housing Trust, the Southern Landlords Association and |members of Brighton Students Union.

Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Hove and Portslade Peter Kyle, who also attended the launch, said: “Having gone through a similar experience at my time at university living in substandard housing, I regret bitterly that I didn’t do something about it at the time and that I wasn’t involved and working alongside other people and |other students in the same |position.”

Tenant Summer Dean was left slumped against a wall in her cold house in tears when her heating broke and no one would take |her calls.

Others described how they were left with nowhere to turn when being confronted by problem |landlord and substandard living conditions.

The campaign is being backed by city housing bosses who have given their support to the efforts being made to offer help to |tenants, particularly those moving into their first home.

Andy Winter, from Brighton Housing Trust, said: “In Brighton and Hove we have some amazingly good private landlords and some real rogues, some people who are unethical and some people who really frankly deserve to be in prison for the conditions that they let their homes in.”