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UK Student Accomodation
Student sponsors
You can also read an exclusive interview given to us by Pat
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Independent Living
Getting into college, or university, we are likely to end up living
outside our original home.
This is normally our first independent living. You could
end up living in the Halls, private accomadation, bedsitters, shared flats, or houses.
This page is provided to help you make those choices. We need students,
who have experience, in these areas to email us or send in pictures of their accomodation. Always remember, everything will be published.
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Council Tax
Students studying on a full time course are entitled to Council Tax Exemption. The exemption certificate is obtainable from your Campus services Manager. If you share a house with other students or with a host family, parents or partners who would otherwise live alone you will need a certificate for the local council to claim the discount.
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Doing your bit
You can help reduce your financial and environmental costs by thinking carefully on how to use energy within your house
-- Switch off your lights when not in the room
-- Don't cover your radiator with clothes or towels, as this reduces the heat out and could make your room cold
-- Draw back the curtains fully to get maximum benefit of daylight.
-- On the other hand; close your curtains in the winter evenings to help keep in heat
-- Portable electric heaters aren't advisable. They are expensive to run, they increase the demand on polluting power statio and can result in fire due to circuit overloading.
-- Leaving tap water running can be expensive.
-- For instance, a cold water tap left running for a whole day, will cost almost £30.
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"Gas Alert"
By law, gas appliances in rented accomodation must be serviced annually
and a copy of the certificate provided to tenants.
Make sure the renewal dates corresponding to your accomodation is correct
The department of Environment, transport and regions and Independent Housing Ombudsman Limited, has formed a scheme called "the Tenancy Deposit scheme". The trial study will run for a period of two years in five different parts of England. If the trial becomes successful, it is hoped it becomes a national scheme. With tenancy deposit scheme , deposits will be protected during the period of tenancy. If no problem arises after the tenancy agreement ends, the deposit is returned. If there is a problem, the independent Ombudsman will be asked to make a ruling within ten days. If the ruling wholly or partially is in favour of the tenant, they will receive their deposit within five working days. This scheme is very essential as most students loss hundreds of pounds of their deposit.If your university is involved in this scheme, we will like to hear from you.
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Estimated accomodation prices per week through out the UK (year 2000)
Starting from the North.
- Newcastle: ( Private £25 - £55; Halls: £40 - £63)
- Edinburgh: ( Private £50; Halls : £82 - £97)
- Liverpool: ( Private £56; Halls : £42 - £54)
- Sunderland: ( Private £38; Halls : £36 - £78)
- Ulster: ( Private £35; Halls : £35)
- Aberystwyth: ( Private £45 - £60; Halls : £30 - £65)
- Brunel: ( Private £50 - £65; Halls : £50)
- East Anglia: ( Private £40 - £53; Halls : £30 - £57)
- Gloucester: ( Private £40 - £50; Halls : £55)
- Glamorgan: ( Private £40; Halls : £38)
- Bristol: ( Private £40 - £65; Halls : £50)
- East London: ( Private £50; Halls : £40 - £66)
- UCL London: ( Private £80 - £120; Halls : £65 - £90)
- Southampton: ( Private £50; Halls : £82 - £97)
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Useful tips
-- Halls of Residence are normally slightly cheaper(inclusive of bills) than private accomodation. Most Halls of Residence accomodations are allocated to first year students. Contact your University housing officer very early, as places normally run out towards the beginning of term.
-- If in Private accomodation, ensure you receive a contract and receipts for your rent.
-- Ask your landlord, if you get reduced rent when you are away on holidays.
-- For students' parents; try and include your son or daughter on your home content insurance to cover their belongings and ensure their belongings are properly protected.
-- Buy an A-Z map of your institution's area, as you normally have to visit a lot of houses in different streets while searching
-- Hold loads of loose change (10p, 20p, 50p), for phoning.
You normally have to make loads of calls before you get an appropiate accomodation.
--Get to know students you will move in with, as you may end up living with them for the rest of the year.
-- You usually end up lossing loads of money, when there is constant disagreement between roommates.
This can also seriously effect your studies.
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Send in How to start
-- Getting a good accomodation isn't always simple.
-- Make sure, you visit your university
-- First start by calling your university accomodation officer.
-- Normally universities have lists of avaliable accomodation.
-- Landlords who want to, offer students their houses are normally included in the list.
-- Normally, accomodation officers inspect these accomodations
-- Due to rapid changes to the list, most of the accomodations aren't inspected.
-- Most agreements, are between the Landlords, and the students.
-- This should be treated as a legal transaction between two people
-- Take advice from your accomodation officers, about relevant questions to ask.
-- Example:- ensure, your accomodation has heating,
-- Cookers, working toilets, reasonable weekly price.
-- Ask about bills left over by former tenants.
-- Is the house insured.
-- Are bills included in your rent
-- Make sure you have loads of coins, for calling different accomodations.
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Options avaliable
-- Agencies, are normally useful, if your university accomodations aren't enough.
-- Ask your accomodation officer, if agencies are allow to charge for their assistance.
-- In most places, it is illegal for agencies to charge for registering,
-- or supplying students with useful lists of vacancies.
-- Check what services are guaranteed before paying anything.
Houses: -- These are full houses, normally rented to a group of friends or students.
Land lords, normally sign contracts for these houses with the students.
Make sure, the house has all relevant requirements, before signing any contracts
Flats :- Normally smaller than houses.
-- You normally share kitchens, toilets, and other facilities with others
-- Two to four people normally share a flat.
Bedsitting rooms:- This normally means, you cook, eat and sleep in the same room.
-- Bathrooms and toilets are normally shared with other students.
-- Sizes normally differ.
Halls :- Suitable for students living home for the first time
-- Sharing of kitchen, bathroom, toilet
-- You normally share and meet more students in halls.
Living with landlords :- You may be living with a landlord, and their family
-- This is usually tricky as you may have to abide by certain rules
-- Ensure you like the family, and would be confortable with the family
-- Normally cheaper than most accommodations
-- Try to move in with families, that are included in your university housing list
-- This is essential, as housing officers may have past records of relationship of the family with former students.
Living off the campus area.:- This type of accommodation is suitable for
-- Confident students. If you haven't lived outside home before, try and aviod this kind of accommodation
-- You will be in contact with so many non students
-- This may be a disadvantage, as your pattern of living, may differ from theirs
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Relevant Questions
Questions are normally relevant, to ensure your house is safe.
- Is the house, under mortgage ?
- Who pays, gas, telephone, water and electric bills (landlord or tenant) ?
- What is the average expected bill each month ?
- Are you allowed to look for a cheaper one (eg. cable and wirless instead of British telecom) ?
- Which rooms and facities can the tenants use ?
- How much is the rent (Bills included or not included) ?
- Is it a weekly, monthly, or termly payment ?
- Would the rent be the same for the whole period ?
- How much day or week notice is required, incase you decide to leave the accomodation ?
- How much notice, if the landlord decides to evict a tenant or tenants ?
- Are there leaks or loose wall bricks in the house?
- Do the windows, doors, and heaters work properly ?
- Are there are loose live wires, nasty builders works in the house?
- If the house needs any maintanance, who pays for it ?
- Make sure you have running hot and cold water throughout the house ?
- Is there enough storage (food, and work space) ?
- Do you have to buy your own cooking utensils ?
- Does the shower work ?
- Have you seen a Gas Safety Certificate ?
- Is there an inventory ?
- Does the inventory state the condition of the items ?
- Will damaged items be repaired before you move in ?
- Are there any restrictions to having visitors/pets/posters ?
- Is there a storage area for bikes ?
- Have you asked the previous tenants what the property is like to live in ?
- Does the toilet work ?
- How much deposit is required for the house ?
- Try and list items in the house with the landlord (This helps prevent arguments when you decide to live).
- Sign the paper of the list, and keep a copy.
- When you decide to live the property,
- Make sure, you give the required notice.
- Check the list with the Landlord.
- Finally request for your deposit.
- Check things carefully before committing yourself to a property
. If there is anything you are unhappy with or anything wrong with the
property then inform the landlord in writing and keep a copy for yourself
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Saving money
- Asking about discounts, never kills. The worst that could happen is getting no as an answer.
- Try and ask for the bills to be included in your rent.
Negotiate for a lower rent.
- Try to sign a contract where you pay rent weekly or monthly,
and give a short notice.
- This is relevant, incase you get a cheaper accomodation, or you decide
to leave for other reasons.
- Try to sign individual contracts, this way, you are not liable if a tenant
decides to leave.
- Try to find, the cheapest and most reliable telephone service in your area.
- If possible, make it and incoming call phone (prevents tenants from having problems of who made a certain call).
- Ensure, you are not eligible for housing benefits. If you are, that should help you a lot.
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Student's housing rights
The 1996 housing Act governs renting in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under this act, any tenancy agreements taken out after 28 Feb. 1997 will be regarded as shorthold tenancy.
A short hold tenacy means the right to live in the property for six months unless you and your landlord or lady agree on a longer length of tenancy. This allows us student to rent accomodations without paying for the property during the summer break. Always remember to get a receipt of rents paid.
Landlords and ladies can ask an occupant to leave at any point after six months, once the fixed-period agreements between the two parties has been completed. You are normally given two months notice in writing, if you are required off the accomodation.
The housing Act also protects you from unjustified eviction. Always contact your accomodation officier, when such a situation arises.
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Small claims court (Relating to deposits)
This system deals with small claims. It is designed to be cheap, quick and easy. £5000 is the maximum you can claim (£1000 in cases of housing disrepair) or less and the claim can be made against a person or company in England or Wales. The cases are dealt with in County Court.
Getting your money back
If the person from whom you are claiming is bankrupt or has no income the court may not be able to assist. Even if the court make a judgement in your favour they cannot guarantee that you are paid any money owed to you. If the defendant does not pay you will have to ask the court to enforce the judgement.
Cost
The amount you are charged by the court depends on the amount you are claiming.
Where to start
Try to find your closest local court via your phone book under ?courts?.
Making your claim
If your claim is for a fixed amount of money you will need 3 copies of form N1. All county Courts have these forms and they are given free of charge. One copy for you, one copy for the court and one copy for the court to send to the person you are claiming from.
Next step
The court will post copy of the claim to the defendant, together with a response pack which contains forms for the defendant to use to reply to your claim. If after 14 days of service the defendant does not reply to your claim you can ask the court to enter judgement by default. They can make an order in which the defendant pays the amount you have claimed.
Useful contact
For more details, visit http://www.courtservice.gov.uk, or contact your accomodation officer or your local Citizen?s Advice Center.
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Gas
Gas appliances operate safely when they are installed, operated and maintained correctly.
If not, poisonous fumes could be released into the room.
To avoid this, follow these suggestions:
1. It is best only to buy appliances from reputable dealers. Avoid buying second-hand.
2. By law, gas appliances must be fitted and maintained only by an installer who is registered with CORGI. If the boiler or water heater is fitted to an existing chimney, this should first be swept. Any newly installed gas appliance in a bathroom must be of the room-sealed type. When installing a gas fire or water heater of 14 kilowatts input or less in a bedroom it must either have a spillage safety device or be room-sealed. If it is larger than 14 kilowatt input it must be room-sealed.
3. Have all your gas appliances serviced regularly by an expert, usually once a year. This should include a safety check to make sure flues are working properly.
4. Ventilation is vital. Never block or obstruct any vent. If your appliances are fitted with balanced flues, make sure the grill outside is kept clear.
5. It is against the law to use an appliance you know or suspect is unsafe or dangerous
Useful contact
Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers (CORGI)
4 Elmwood,
Chineham Business Park,
Crockford Lane,
Basingstoke,
Hants RG24 OWG
Tel: 01256 707060
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Students and Agencies
Agencies act on behalf of private landlords and let flats, houses and bedsits.
If you are thinking of approaching an agency it is important that you
remember the following:
- What are you paying for?
- Get receipt
- All agreements should be in writing.
- Get a copy of what you sign.
- Are there any extra terms and conditions.
- See safety certificates.
- Get an inventory.
- Know your rights and responsibilities.
- If you don't understand it, don't sign it.
- * It is illegal for an agency to charge for simply registering
someone or supplying a list of addresses. Most student Housing does not
recommend or advertise any accomodation agencies.
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Recommended book
Student life : A survival Guide
by Natasha Roe
2nd Edition
ISBN 1-873408-68-4
This book helps explain student's issues such as :
Money, accomodation, Living on your own, freshers week, health, students with disability and much more.
For a copy, contact
Life Career Publishing
7 Ascot Court,
White horse Business park,
Trowbridge, wiltshire, Ba14 OXA or
ring 01225 716 023
Highly recommended by SNB
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