Where do I look?

Many local landlords advertise their student-friendly housing through StudentPad which is run by the University. You can filter properties by your requirements, set alerts and reach out to landlords. However, the University cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of the adverts and so you should always make arrangements to view and inspect the property before entering into a tenancy agreement.  

You can also search for student accommodation including student homes, flats and lodgings via London StudentPad.

If you are looking to rent a room in the private sector, there are a number of ways you can do this. You could either go direct to an estate agents or search via a listing site. There are numerous sites which list rental vacancies, two of the more common are SpareRoom and Zoopla.

Before considering privately renting, please read the University of London's Private Housing Guide. It has all the information you need on how to rent safely. 

Unfortunately, our advisers cannot assist with searching for accommodation on your behalf.

Housing Contracts 

We would always suggest getting a second opinion before signing a contract if you are not fully comfortable with it or if there are parts you don’t understand.

The majority of housing contracts in the private sector will be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. These will usually be fixed term, your rent will stay the same throughout and there will be fixed payment dates. For more information on these tenancies, have a read through the information provided by Shelter.

Shelter Tenancies Advice

Contracts in student accommodation can take a few different forms, but the important thing to note is that they are still legally binding documents. You are liable to pay the rent for the duration which you signed for initially. If you do not pay, the landlord/halls provider can pursue you for the rent through legal avenues.

Our advisers are more than happy to have a look at any housing contracts before you sign them to see if there is anything unusual or concerning, as well as answer any questions you may have about living off-campus. Remember not to sign anything unless you are 100% comfortable with it and understand the contract fully.

You will generally be asked to pay a deposit when you move in to a new place and sign a contract. Getting your full deposit back can be the difficult part as landlords will often look for reasons to make deductions for arrears or damage to the property.

What are your rights?

If you are having difficulties getting the landlord to return your deposit, or you do not agree with the deductions, there are a couple of options for you.

The majority of housing agreements are what are called Assured Shorthold Tenancies. Under these tenancies, your deposit has to be protected in a government scheme and this will be directly mentioned in your housing agreement. Each of these schemes have a dispute resolution service where you can submit a form detailing your dispute.

You will also need to submit relevant evidence – this could be communication between you and the landlord or photographs of the property. These schemes will look at the situation and return the deposit amount they feel is fair. It is always worth speaking to your landlord before you go down this route as they may try to resolve the situation before this formal process.

The housing charity Shelter has a useful advice page on getting your deposit back which covers this in more detail.

Shelter Deposit Advice(Opens in a new tab)

Wanting to move out of your accommodation early can happen, sometimes things do not go your way, whether that is issues with the property itself, issues with your housemates or other factors. However, there are certain things to be aware of before you decide to leave early.

What can you do?

The most important thing to be aware of is that your tenancy agreement or housing contract is a legally binding document. This means you have to stick to the terms of it and are legally liable to pay the rent for the time agreed.

Some contracts will have what is known as a “break clause” in them, which will allow you to leave your contract early. Usually these will allow you to terminate your contract after 6 months of being there but may also have additional conditions attached such as a notice period. This may also be called an “early termination” clause.

You may be able to speak to the landlord and come to an agreement that if you find a replacement tenant, you will be able to leave the contract – this can be a fairly common compromise.

It is definitely worth being sure of your contract and your rights about leaving early before signing a new agreement as you may find yourself liable for 2 rents – you definitely want to avoid this!

For more information, please see the Shelter website. Shelter is the UK's leading specialist housing advice charity. For specialist legal advice you can also contact your local Citizens Advice centre.

Your landlord is responsible for ensuring your property is fit to live in. The more serious the problem, the quicker the repairs need to be. This can be frustrating, as smaller issues can take a long time to resolve.

What can you do?

It can be tempting to threaten to withhold rent as a way of forcing your landlord or property agent to carry out the repairs, but we do not recommend doing this. Your duty to pay rent is separate to their duty to carry out repairs. By not paying rent, you are leaving yourself open to being evicted.

We would suggest keeping in constant contact with the landlord and keep reminding them that the work still has not been carried out. We would also suggest making sure you take photographs of the problem and ensuring that all communication you have with the landlord or agent is written down. If the repairs continue to not be fixed, it is worth finding the relevant formal complaints procedure and submitting a complaint.

For more detailed information, see the Shelter guide to landlords and repairs.