Student Housing – Private Renting

If you have moved away from home for college or university and you cannot get a room in Halls of Residence or you would prefer to privately rent, it pays to be organised and know how to go about renting a place from a landlord.
The main advantage of privately renting is that you can choose who you live with. You and a group of friends could get together to rent a house, or if you cannot find anyone suitable there are always lots of individual rooms available in other houses.
Check with your college/university if they have approved private landlord listings. These are landlords that meet a set of minimum standards for the college/university, and their properties are usually in good condition. You can also speak with local letting agents. Most agents in towns where there are colleges/universities have many properties suitable for students. They also advertise rooms that are going spare in other houses.
Before you settle on somewhere and sign a contract, make sure that you view the property first. Check the location is suitable, and you are going to be able to get to college/university each day.
The average cost of rent can vary depending on the location. Expect to pay anything from £90.00 to £150.00 per week. Remember bills are often not included in the rent, so you need to make allowances for this. Bills often come along when least expected so you will need to make sure that you put aside enough money to cover them when they come through.