Category: Student Accommodation
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Student’s Guide to Private Rented Accommodation
Introduction If you are about to enter the world of private rented accommodation for the first time there are several important decisions to be made; where to live, who to live with, how much to pay, and so on. Unfortunately most students stumble through the experience, learning as they go but suffering the consequences of…
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Living in harmony
If you took a bit of time choosing who to share with you will have a much greater chance of having a happy household. The Ground Rules You may think that rules are the last thing you need after finally breaking free from the family home or the halls of residence but if you don’t…
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Regulations
Rented residential property is covered by several regulations the most important of which are detailed below. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 Only a competent and suitably qualified engineer who is CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) registered is permitted to carry out work on gas appliances. The regulations also stipulate that all gas appliances and…
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Who to share with
With a bit of luck you will have been living in the University’s halls of residence for a year before you have to make this decision. During that year you will have hopefully developed a network of friends that you can leverage to find the ideal group of people to share with. Even then it…
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Deposits etc
The dilapidation deposit is not the same as a holding deposit although the holding deposit that you have already paid will normally go towards making up the dilapidation deposit. Since time immemorial Landlords and tenants have argued over dilapidation deposits. At the commencement of a tenancy the tenant pays the Landlord a sum of money,…
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Tenancy Agreements
The Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) Agreement is the automatic or default form of tenancy for most residential lets. What defines this type of tenancy is the fact that the Landlord has a right to get their property back at the end of the tenancy. An AST will generally run for between six months’ and three…
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Securing a property
A financial commitment will be required by a Landlord before a property can be reserved for you. This can take two forms: Holding Deposit A holding deposit is paid by a prospective tenant so that a property can be removed from the market while references are taken up. A holding deposit is generally non-refundable if you…
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Selecting a property
It is essential that you view a good selection of properties before making a decision. Put a couple of days aside for the viewings and take notes so that you can compare and contrast later. Because it’s a fast moving market agent’s details tend to be fairly sparse on rental properties. Compensate for this by…
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Starting your search
Your starting point should be the University’s Accommodation Office. The best of these will provide you with a list of local Landlords and Agents that they are happy to recommend. Unfortunately they are unlikely to have enough properties to satisfy the demand so you are probably going to have to go out and house hunt…
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Deciding on a location
Students like to live alongside students. There is even a specific term for it now, studentification. This is the phenomenon where an area becomes so dominated by privately rented student accommodation that the price of property escalates beyond the reach of the locals. Side effects include the conversion of local shops to fast food joints…