Privately rented student houses & flats

Houses in the private sector are usually occupied by 2nd and 3rd year students. If you thought halls offered you freedom then finding and living in your own house will open a whole new world of experiences. You'll now be able to keep your house how you want it, without hassle from cleaners and resident tutors, but at the same time the startling prospect of paying bills strikes home. Frequent house parties and having your own space makes student houses an excellent alternative to university accommodation. As you'll be spending much more time with a smaller group of people, make sure you're happy with the people you plan to live with - student houses are the ultimate way of testing relationships! Visit our student housing guide below for more information on renting in the private sector.

Student accommodation services

Have a room to fill or need a room? Find the right flatmate by registering for free with these sites:
Easy Roommate is the leading online flatshare service in the UK with more than 190,000 ads with pictures and comments.
Accommodation for Students - the UK's most advanced student accommodation search engine.
Campus Couriers help students move their belongings at the start and end of term. They will collect your boxes and suitcases from your home, flat, lodgings, campus or school with door to door guaranteed overnight next day delivery by 3pm in most of the UK. They also offer an international service (generally within 2-5 days in Europe).
Flatmaterooms - find a room, a flatmate or just browse advice all for free at flatmaterooms.
International Student Accommodation - Go Live It specialise in helping international students find suitable accommodation during their time abroad.
Gumtree.com - for flatshares in cities across the UK.
Homes for Students - search their database of student houses, student flats, student housing, student halls and all other kinds of student accommodation anywhere in the UK.
Leydon Lettings - rent student houses in Canterbury.
ParkatmyHouse.com - earn some extra cash by letting out a spare parking space. Or rent one off someone else!
Student Accommodation - student accommodation Forum, blogs, articles, TV channel, Maps.
Student Pad is the quickest route to search for student accommodation in the UK via the web. Working with over 50 universities and colleges it provides details of all types of students accommodation including private flats and houses and lodgings. Students can register online and receive notifications of new properties that fit their search criteria. Students can view properties including location maps and photographs and contact landlords directly to organise viewings. A message board is also available where students can message other students looking for roommates.
Your Student House - find houses, flats, homes, housing and private halls of residence throughout all the univerisity areas in the UK.

Renting student houses

The following guide covers the issues that you will have to face when renting student housing

How to find student housing

Once you've decided who you want to live with and how many rooms you'll need it's time to start house hunting. You first point of call might be the university accommodation office who may already have either a list of off-campus properties let by private landlords, or a list of letting agents through which landlords register their properties. Other places to look include local newspapers, noticeboards in newsagents, supermarkets and post offices and online - for information on sites featuring student accommodation view the student accommodation services listings above. Allow around a month for finding and moving into accommodation.

Hints and tips on viewing student housing and staying gas safe in your student house

Accommodation costs are one of your main expenses of university. It is worth spending the extra time to help make sure you'll have a hassle free year. The TV show is called Location, Location, Location for a reason - make sure the house is in a convenient location for pubs, shops and transport links to the campus. Walk the route back from the bus stop at night and make sure you feel comfortable, review our guide on student personal safety. When you're at the actual property make a thorough check of the condition it is in:

Exterior - does the roof look sound and water tight? (look for signs of damp on the ceiling and walls when you go inside), are the gutters and drains clear?, is there any woodwork rotting and unsafe?, is the garden tidy and trouble free? (you'll be responsible for its upkeep), are the external doors and locks secure? (including operational Chubb locks on external doors), are the windows clean? (you'll be responsible for keeping them clean)
Interior - has the house got enough furniture (in a decent condition) for the occupants?, is there sufficient space in the kitchen to store and prepare food?, is the fridge/freezer big enough?, do the electrical appliances all work?, is the heating system adequate?, do the taps/toilet/shower all work and not leak?
Gas safety - is there a copy of the gas safety certifcate and are there working carbon monoxide alarms? It is a legal requirement that landlords provide this annually and the engineer carrying out the test must be on the Gas Safe Register (previously known as CORGI). For more information on how to stay gas safe in your rented accommodation, including details of the lethal dangers of carbon monoxide please visit www.gassaferegister.co.uk for a free downloadable factsheet.
Electrical/fire safety - has the electrical wiring been checked in the last 3 years? Does the property have working smoke alarms?

If you get any verbal assurances from the landlord for additional furniture, repairs etc - get them in writing. Finally make sure you ask the current tenants what the house and landlord is like, they should be able to provide you with an unbiased opinion. If you find your dream house yet it has more rooms then your group needs then still consider snapping it up then just find an additional housemate by listing for free on Easy Roommate or Flatmate Click.

Estate agents, contracts, protecting your deposit and paying rent

Most student landlords register their properties with letting agents. It is most likely that you'll be dealing directly with these agents when looking for property. They will provide you with lists of available student housing, then it is up to you to do the footwork and find a suitable property. Once you've made a decision you'll hand over a deposit against any damage for renting the property (usually one months rent) and then sign a contract or 'lease agreement' with the letting agent. This is a legally binding document setting out each parties rights and responsibilities. By signing it, both you and the landlord have certain rights protected in law which cannot be overwritten by the contract. Make sure you understand the wording of the contract, your Student Union welfare office should be happy to run through it with you. The landlord should also provide an inventory with the property, this is a list of the contents of the property and a record of the condition of the items - preferably backed up by photographs. Check this thoroughly and notify the landlord immediately of any inconsistencies, otherwise upon moving out you may be paying for the damage of previous tenants.

Landlords pick up the majority of the fees charged by estate agents, however you may be charged a small one-off fee upon signing the tenancy agreement. The payment of rent is usually arranged by standing order to the agent or landlord or sometimes by signing post-dated cheques and handing them to the agent. You will probably be asked to pay the first months rent up front at the start of the tenancy. If you find yourself unable to meet a certain payment in time then inform the agent, it is likely they'll halt the demand for payment from going through and allow you a few days to sort out your finances. Make sure you get a receipt from the agent or landlord for any deposits or rent handed over.

Moving in - gas, electricity and water utility bills and how to sort out bills in a student house

For utilities some landlords may pick up the cost of the annual water rates (check this either in the contract or by asking), however for the first time you will be responsible for arranging and paying electricity, gas and telephone bills. Upon moving in notify the utility companies of the meter readings and give them your names and notice that you have taken on the property. This ensures you are not paying for previous tenants - if you get any final bills for the previous tenants then send to their forwarding address or return them to the utility company if you don't have this. Make sure all your flatmates names are on the bills so everyone is equally liable for their fair share of bills.

To sort out bills in a rented student house the simplest thing is to share them all out equally to avoid petty squabbles over who takes long showers or leaves the lights on. There are a few options to consider on how best to do this: one idea may be to each take ownership of paying one bill (e.g. Gas, Water, Internet) and each housemate requests the money from the other housemates when their bill comes in; another may be to appoint one trusty housemate with a kitty that you all contribute to monthly (such as by standing order to their bank account), combined this should be enough to cover the household's monthly bills and if not just vary/top-up or even reduce each housemate's monthly standing order; alternatively keep a list of who has paid which bill in a prominent place such as on the fridge and then tick off each housemate as they pay their share of the bill. It is really worth paying by Direct Debit where possible as often this can save 5-10% on the cost of the bills - particularly in the case of gas and electricity.

To make sure you're on the cheapest gas or electricity tariff in your area check using the price comparison site Moneysupermarket. Often the cheapest tariffs are dual fuel (taking both gas and electricity from the same supplier) online accounts where you are sent bills via email. Then for further savings follow our tips on how to reduce bills. For TV, Freeview should have enough on it to keep you entertained and you'll save a fortune compared to an expensive Sky subscription. We cover broadband in the section below.

Student broadband - just pay for 9 months of the year rather than 12, review this offer and more on our student broadband page.

Other bills & TV Licence

Having to pay for utilities may make private sector accommodation more expensive than university halls, so budget on about an extra £20-£30 per month each for utility bills (based on four sharing). Some good news is that students are exempt from paying council tax. Don't forget other necessities like getting a TV licence for your house, which costs £145.50 a year for a colour set, or £12 a month by Direct Debit. Anyone using a TV or other device that is capable of watching programmes "as they are broadcast" - and that includes laptops - has to buy a licence. But if you download programmes off BBC iPlayer, or only watch previously broadcast programmes, you do not need a licence. Students in halls don't need a licence to watch a TV in the communal rooms. However, if you have one in your room, you do.

If you are moving out of halls or other student accommodation, remember that your TV Licence does not move with you and you’ll need to notify TV Licensing of your new address in order to remain licensed. Make sure you update your address details by visiting www.tvlicensing.co.uk and following the instructions. If you are moving later in the summer, you can update your details up to 90 days in advance. And, if you don’t yet know your new address, you can sign up for the email reminder service, and TV Licensing will contact you at the appropriate time to make sure you remain correctly licensed. Finally you could be eligible for a refund on the final three months of your TV Licence if you are not staying at university over the summer, e.g. students who bought their TV Licence in October and don’t need it for July, August and September, may be able to claim back the final quarter of their licence - or a refund of around £37.

Student contents insurance / other issues

According to figures released by the Home Office, 1 in 3 students becomes the victim of a crime each year. On top of this, young people (aged 16 to 24 year old) are around three times more likely to be victims of burglary than people in other age groups. Student houses are often targeted by burglars as they often feature several sets of TVs, Stereos, Playstations etc, so do make sure you take out some contents insurance cover. Endsleigh are an insurer approved by the NUS who provide specialist cover for student posessions. Their contents insurance can be tailored to cover all the items that you take to university - so you can build a policy that insures just one item, or a policy that covers your bike, laptop, iPod, camera, DVDs etc. Whilst staying in privately rented accommodation the landlord is responsible for the buildings insurance.

If you have incidents such as damp or damage to the exterior of the building then notify the landlord who will be responsible for arranging repairs. The same goes for the gas, water and electical supplies, sanitation and heating. If you're struggling to get a response and the situation is serious then get a report from your local Environmental Health Officer who can enforce repairs with the landlord. However try and remain diplomatic at all times, halting the payment of rent may sound like an easy solution to prompt action but can lead to more serious issues. Seek advice from the Students Union welfare office or Citizens Advice Bureau if in doubt.

ParkatmyHouse.com - earn some extra cash by letting out a spare parking space. Or rent one off someone else!
My Property Guide - consists of a series of 11 articles and covers topics such as property selection, tenancy agreements and regulations. An excellent and comprehensive resource.
Student housing guide - housing advice and services for students looking for or having problems with accommodation. Low downs on contracts, check lists plus much more.