Your ultimate student housing guide 2024

There’s a lot to get sorted when you’re starting university or college. And where you’re going to live is probably one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make. 

For some, if you’re a new starter, student accommodation may be the first time you’ve ever rented a place. Maybe it’s even the first time you’ve lived away from home.  

So, you’ve probably got lots of questions, such as: 

• Should you live on campus or in private housing?

• How does student accommodation work?

• How much is student accommodation?

• How do you find a student house?

In this guide, we’ll help you navigate student accommodation so you can settle into your new life with ease! 🏠

First, should you live at home or away? 

Before deciding the type of accommodation, you may also be considering whether or not you should live at home, if that’s an option for you. 

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of living at home vs. away:

Living at home	Pros	Cons
Cost	Saves money on rent and utilities	May miss out on full independence
Comfort	Familiar and comfortable environment	Potentially less privacy and freedom
Support	Immediate family support and home-cooked meals	Possible distractions from family life
Convenience	No need to move or adapt to a new place	Potentially a longer commute to university
Financial	Lower overall living expenses	May miss out on certain financial support available to those living away

Living away from home	Pros	Cons
Independence	Greater independence and responsibility	Higher living costs (rent, bills, groceries)
Experience	Full university experience, including social activities	Homesickness and adjustment challenges
Networking	Easier to make friends and build a network	Managing household chores and finances on your own
Proximity	Closer to campus, reducing commute time	Potential for distractions in shared accommodations
Personal growth	Opportunity for personal development and self-reliance	Risk of feeling isolated if living in a new city/town

This guide is for students living away from home as we’ll cover the various options for student housing. For commuter students, you can learn more here. 

(Note: you must be at one of our partner universities or colleges to access the learning). 

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How does student accommodation work?

There are lots of different options for housing as a student. The most common types are the following:  

• University halls

• Private halls 

• Rental flats/houses

There’s no right or wrong answer for which type of housing is best - it’s about what’s best for you. It’ll depend on your budget, where you want to live, if you want housemates, etc. 

We’ll dive into the pros and cons of each, so you can make the best decision for you. 

University halls 

Owned by the university, these are usually either on campus or close to the main university buildings. Most first-year students opt for university accommodation on campus as it’s a good first step away from home. 

University halls are typically a large block of flats and include a furnished bedroom and a shared bathroom. Some university halls are self-catered with a small kitchen. In some cases, you’ll have food catering options. Meals are generally included in the accommodation fees. 

You’ll pay for university halls in instalments each term with bills included. 

Private halls 

These are similar to university halls but are owned by private companies. They usually offer high-standard, modern, ensuite rooms and can be a bit more on the expensive side. These are available to all students in the area, so you might not necessarily be with students from your uni. 

Private halls also usually have catered and self-catered options available. 

For private halls, you’ll generally pay monthly or termly instalments - it’ll depend on the contract. Bills may or may not be included. 

Rental flats/houses

Most students in their second and third years choose to live in private accommodation in shared flats or houses. 

Often, you’ll end up living with friends you made in your first year. But there are also lots of options for finding housemates or single occupancy accommodation online, which we’ll list later on. 

You’ll generally pay your rent to the landlord each month. But if you’re an international student and don’t have a UK guarantor (we’ll explain what this is later on), then you may need to pay a few months upfront.

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When do you start looking for student housing?

Start looking for student housing as early as possible, especially if you plan to live in shared houses. 

The best properties tend to go quickly - so starting your search early will give you more options. Ideally, you’ll want to start looking in the months leading up to the academic year. 

If you’re staying in university halls, your uni or college will have their own deadlines for applying for accommodation. 

You can use the UCAS accommodation website to find each uni’s accommodation information and contact details. 

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How much is student accommodation?

Student housing costs will vary depending on the type of accommodation and location. 

For university halls, the rent may be higher, but they might also include utilities and cleaning services in the rent. While private housing will require budgeting for additional expenses like electricity, gas, water and internet. 

According to research done by Unipol and NUS, here's a rough breakdown of what to expect to pay per week: 

• Across the UK, purpose-built student accommodation: averaged £166/week 

• Across the UK, private sector accommodation: averaged £155/week for an ensuite room and £228/week for a studio

• In London, university accommodation: averaged £212/week and £259/week for the private sector

It’s also important to note that there's more funding available for students living away from home, to help with accommodation costs. And you’ll usually get more funding if you’re living away from home and in London.  

Paying a deposit 

If you’re in private housing, you may also need to pay a deposit upfront. Your landlord is required to put your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme (TDP), which you’ll get back at the end of your tenancy. 

Be wary of rental scams, especially if you’re an international student and not yet in the UK. Scammers will try to pressure you into sending a deposit to ‘reserve’ a property.  

If something feels off, it likely is. 

Read more about scams here. 

How do you pay for student accommodation?

Your student accommodation may be one - if not the - biggest expense other than your tuition fees at university or college. So, how do you pay for it? 

Maintenance Loans 

For full-time students, your maintenance loan will help pay for your student accommodation costs.  

Like your tuition fee loan, you’ll need to pay this back after you graduate or leave your course. Our guide covers everything you need to know about maintenance loans. Learn more about student finance for part-time students here. 

Scholarships, bursaries or grants 

You may be able to get a scholarship, bursary or grant to cover some of your accommodation costs. 

Check out the Blackbullion Funding Hub to see what financial support is available. 

Part-time work

If you need additional money while studying, consider working part-time. 

We’ve got a blog on the best ways to make money as a student. And a guide on what to know about working part-time and student finance. 

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How to find student accommodation 🔍

If you’re living in university halls, you’ll go through your university or college’s website. 

For private housing, here are some of the top platforms for finding housing in the UK: 

• SpareRoom - for flatmates and flatshares

• Ideal Flatmate - for flatmates and flatshares

• Hybr - student rental housing 
• Prime Student Living - student rental housing

• Student Roost - privately owned student housing

• Unite Students - privately owned student housing

• LSH (Liverpool Student Homes) - official university service for student accommodation 

• Zoopla or Rightmove - for whole properties to let 

• Local letting agents - some agents specialise in student rentals 

• Your university/college Facebook group

• University accommodation office 

• Word of mouth - tell everyone you know you’re looking! 

If you’re struggling to find student accommodation, get in touch with your student services or student union for help. 

Also read: 'Best tips for finding student housing'. 

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Understanding your tenancy agreement

Most student lets are shorthold or short-term tenancy agreements with private landlords. This means that your contract with the landlord is for a fixed term, usually 12 months, even though you won’t necessarily need the house for the whole 12 months. 

Within this, the tenancy will either be a joint tenancy or an individual tenancy agreement, which means that you’ll either all be held jointly responsible for the overall rent, or you’ll be held individually responsible for your own rent. 

Taking a joint tenancy agreement with people you don’t know particularly well can have its risks. For example, if one of them leaves the property and doesn’t pay their rent, the rest of you will still be liable, or if your parents are acting as guarantors, they may find themselves liable for someone else’s unpaid rent, which might not make them too happy!

There have been plenty of horror stories of landlords taking advantage of unsuspecting students. 

So, protect yourself before signing any agreement - make sure you bear in mind that you’re the customers and you therefore have certain rights which you can exercise if your landlord doesn’t deliver what has been agreed in the contract.

Check your contract and agreement carefully for the following:

• When it runs from and to and when you have to pay the rent. Put these dates in your diary so you don’t forget to pay. Make sure that the amount you’re liable for is stated in the contract

• How much deposit is required and the terms under which any or all of the deposit may be withheld. Check if your landlord is backed by a deposit protection scheme, which they should be by law

• What you can and can’t do in the property – for example, can you have pets, parties, etc.?

• What utilities, if any, are included in the rent and are there any caps on usage?

• What happens if you want to end your tenancy early?

• Who’s responsible for what repairs? Your landlord is usually responsible for doing most repairs and for ensuring the safety of gas and electrical equipment, furnishings and asbestos

What are your rights as a tenant?

You do have certain rights as the tenant but you can also be evicted quite easily if you don’t pay your rent or you become a nuisance to the landlord. 

But, in order to do this, they’ll have to serve you notice and get a possession order from the court. You have the right to stay in your home until the bailiffs evict you but you may find yourself paying some of the landlord’s legal costs if you stay on after the notice has expired.

• Your landlord or their agent does have the right to access your home to check any repair work needed and to carry out the repairs. Unless it’s an emergency, they must give you 24 hours notice

• The landlord doesn’t have the right to enter your home otherwise unless you invite them

• It’s against the law for the landlord to harass you or illegally evict you 

Learn more about your tenant’s rights from Citizens Advice. 

Don’t feel pressured to sign any contract until you’ve read through it all and you’ve made sure you understand and are happy with all the terms of the agreement. 

Although there’s always a rush to get the best properties at the start of term, it’s better to get it right than rush into something you later regret. 

How to get out of a student accommodation contract

Most student accommodation contracts are 12 months with no break clause and it can be tricky to get out of a contract early.

It’s important to know that when you’re signing a tenancy agreement, you’re entering a legally binding contract. So, you can’t just leave the property. 

If you need to leave early for whatever reason, it’s best to let your landlord and housemates know as soon as possible. They may be willing to accommodate. Usually, they’ll let you leave on the condition that you find a replacement tenant or pay a fee to end the contract early. 

What is a guarantor for student accommodation? 

You’ll need a guarantor if you’re unable to prove that you can pay your rent. Some landlords will require a guarantor from students if they feel there’s a risk that you might not be able to pay your rent, on time and in full. 

If you’re an international student, you will likely need a UK guarantor. If you can’t find one, they may require you to pay for six months to 12 months of rent upfront instead. 

Who can you use as a guarantor? 

You can use a parent or guardian. There are also some organisations that help students secure a guarantor such as Housing Hand and Your Guarantor. 

If you’re an estranged student or care-leaver, contact your university or college’s money advice team for support. 

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Setting up your utilities

Once you’ve got the tenancy agreement signed, if utilities (water, electricity, gas, telephone/broadband) aren’t included in the monthly rent, you’ll need to sort this out yourselves. 

It’ll save a lot of hassle if you can get your utilities included. This way the landlord is responsible for paying the bills to the utility companies and you just pay him your monthly rent. 

But you may find that some landlords will hike the price to ensure that they’re covering themselves - in case someone in your house has five baths a day and leaves the lights on all night. 💡

So, what do you have to do?

• Do a price comparison – use a site like Money Super Market or USwitch to get a comparison of the likely costs. Most contracts will run from 12 months but some will offer you nine-month contracts, specially designed for students 

• Check the terms and conditions of each contract - often there’ll be cancellation fees and set up charges incurred, so make sure you take those things into consideration when choosing which supplier to go with

• Make everyone responsible to pay – it might seem complicated, but it is better to have all the flatmates names on the bill, so that not one person is held responsible if the bill isn’t paid. If it’s your name on the bill, it can affect your credit score if the bill’s not paid. Learn more about credit scores here

• Set up direct debits – you’re going to have enough things to keep you busy during the term, without having to remember when to pay your utility bills. If everyone sets up a direct debit for their portion of the bill, you can be sure that the bill will be paid and you can all just forget about it – as long as everyone has enough money in their account to cover the direct debit each month!

• Take regular meter readings – make sure you read the meters on the day you move in and also on the day you move out, so that you’re not paying for anything someone else has used. It’s also recommended to read the meter and submit readings on a regular basis so that your bills aren’t estimated by the utility company

When do you need a TV licence?

If you plan on watching any TV live you will need a TV licence. That now includes watching catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer or 4OD.

If you’re living in a shared house, you only need one licence between you. The cost is currently £169.50 for the whole year, but you can get a refund when you move out, for the three months you have not used it for. 

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Student accommodation tips 

Whether you're looking to join an existing flatshare or looking for a whole property, you’ll want to consider the following: 

Location 

It’s often said that the three most important things about buying a house are location, location and location - and the same applies when looking for a flat to rent. 📍

If you’re not within walking distance, make sure your flat has good transport links to the university and doesn’t take too long or cost too much to get there. Also, look around the local area. Are there any convenience shops nearby? Will you feel safe to walk home late at night? Is it an area with a high crime rate?

If you're living in London, check out our guide on the best areas to live as a student. 

Safety and security

Speaking of safety, you’ll also want to check around the property that everything is safe and secure. For example, do the windows have locks? What about each individual door? And the front door?

Are there smoke alarms and fire extinguishers fitted? Are there good fire escape routes from all floors and all rooms?

Electrics

Have a good look at the plug sockets and electrical appliances that are provided in the house. 

Do they look safe? Are there loose cables? Are there enough sockets in your room? Are there enough electrical appliances for all the people who would be living there?

Heating and insulation 

As winter sets in, if the house isn’t well insulated or the heating doesn’t work properly, you’ll end up being miserably cold. 🥶

Check whether the windows are double glazed, the loft is insulated, the doors are draught proof and that the heating system works.

Look out for signs of damp & mould

When looking at the walls and ceilings, check for signs of black mould, particularly near the windows or the smell of dampness in the house. 

Not only does damp smell bad, but it can also be bad for your health living in a house with mould, particularly if you suffer from allergies and asthma. 

Pests

Also check for any signs that there might’ve been a problem with pests, such as mice, rats or slugs. 

Landlords may try to cover this up when showing potential tenants around but ask to look in cupboards or scrutinise the carpets for slug trails. Don’t be shy - you’d rather find out now than after moving in! 

Storage 

If the property comes furnished, are there enough cupboards and other storage space for all your things?

Gas

If there’s gas in the property, your landlord should provide a copy of the annual gas safety inspection certificate, which he’s legally required to have done every year.

As you wander around the property, you’ll also get a feel for the general condition of the property and if it feels as though it is looked after by the landlord. If a house needs a lot of repairs done, it’ll suggest that the landlord is unreliable.

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Choosing your flatmates 

If you’re living in private flats or houses with other tenants, you’ll want to choose them wisely. Good, or bad, flatmates can really make or break your housing situation. 

So, while it might be tempting to move in with the person you go to the pub with every week, you’ve also got to consider whether they’ll be good to live with. 

Living together can sometimes ruin even the best of friendships. You might not think it matters initially, but if someone never does their share of chores, for example, it can impact the relationship after a while. 

So, it might be better to choose someone who you can live well with, rather than your best mate.  

For more tips on living with flatmates, read this blog on tips for sharing bills in a student house.

Navigating student housing can be challenging, but hopefully, these tips will help you find a living situation that suits your needs and enhances your university experience. 

Happy house hunting! 🏠

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Additional resources

• Unite Foundation Scholarships: Offers free student accommodation and scholarships to young people facing challenging circumstances. Unite Foundation

• City Undergraduate Accommodation Bursary: £2,000 a year towards accommodation costs at City University for students with a household income of less than £42,611. City Undergraduate Accommodation Bursary

• Discretionary Accommodation Award: £3,000 per annum for the first two years at the University of St Andrews, based on financial need. Accommodation Award

• Aberdeen University Accommodation Bursary: £2,000 towards accommodation costs for students from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Aberdeen University Accommodation Bursary

• The Blackbullion Funding Hub: Search for scholarships, bursaries and grants that may pay towards your student accommodation costs