A letting agent’s dispute with the parents who acted as guarantors for three former tenants has ended up in court.

The Student Lettings Agency in Canterbury had let out a property to five students in the academic year 2013/4,

But with five months still to run on their contract, one of the students – Robert Chavda – died at the property.

He had taken a drugs overdose and his housemates tried desperately to resuscitate him.

Afterwards, they said they felt too traumatised to return to the property.

The agency, which advertises on Rightmove, was unable to find them alternative accommodation, as requested. The four were instead rehomed by the university and given counselling.

Three of the students offered to pay rent to cover three of the remaining five months of their tenancy, while one settled in full to avoid court action.

The agency was demanding some £7,000 in rent plus interest.

The agency, run by Werner Toogood, had sent a letter to the dead student’s parents within a week of the death, offering them a two-year repayment plan to cover his rent for the rest of the academic year.

Those costs were eventually waived.

Toogood said he had also offered the students the chance to sublet the rooms in the property, but they declined.

The dispute has ended up at Medway Civil Court, with the parents of the three students who acted as their guarantors fighting the agent’s claims.

District Judge Simon Gill has reserved judgement on the case.